A Dragon in Shining Armour
by Griff4823
Summary: Examon becomes the eleventh digimon to be accepted into the Order of the Royal Knights. However, him being a dragon causes some friction with some of the other knights. Despite this, fitting in won't be the only problem he'll have to deal with. Evil Digimon threaten the stability of the Digital World and the Order. On top of that, the Royal Knights clash over their differences.
1. Prologue: Alpha

**A Dragon in Shining Armour**

**Prologue: Alpha**

The full moon shone down on the stone parapets of a gigantic castle, which stood many stories tall in the middle of an ocean of lush, green grassland. Wind swept through the clumps of long grass, creating waves of wind that could be seen from the castle's sleek and clean ramparts. There were eight tall, cylindrical towers at each corner of the castle, which were topped with open, flat, walled roofs for sentries to keep guard from.

A black figure stood on the castle's ramparts, staring down at the moat, in which one of the Digital World's moons was reflected. He watched as the moon was distorted by the ripples created from the gentle wind.

The humanoid digimon was clad in ebony black armour from head to toe, and the moon's light caused the armour's gold trimmings to glisten. Two metal wing-like features protruded from his back and the night breeze caused his white and blue cape that rested between them to flutter and ruffle gently. The ruby eyes behind his helmet were deep in thought about the situation at hand. They stared down at the moon in the moat until the sound of movement behind him got his attention.

"So this is where you went," a voice said from behind him. "Alphamon."

The digimon in question, Alphamon, turned around to see another knight directly behind him, walking over to the castle wall from a stone bridge to the main building. The speaker was a humanoid digimon, like himself, except instead of black plate armour, he had white, with some purple streaks and a curious symbol on his chest. He had a skinny form, particularly his waist and arms, which were garbed in black, leather fabric. Like Alphamon, he had a white cape, except the interior was red instead of blue.

"Omegamon..." Alphamon spoke, his voice deeper, to his second-in-command. "You're up late."

"As are you," Omegamon responded, walking up to his side and looking out over the wall. "You're still thinking about it?"

"No... I think I've made my choice," the black knight responded. "It's an... unorthodox one. Some of the others will probably be uncomfortable with it."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure they will get used to your choice eventually," the white knight spoke, looking over at him with his green eyes. "We all trust your judgement, Lord of the Empty Seat. Me especially."

Alphamon smiled slightly. "You say that now..."

"They got used to Sleipmon, didn't they?" Omegamon asked, putting a hand on Alphamon's shoulder.

"I suppose you're right." Alphamon turned to him, returning the stare. "I'm satisfied with my choice, even if they aren't. I fear we'll need his exceptional abilities in the future."

"You think the cloud of evil is looming, Alphamon?"

Alphamon looked at him with a slight smile. "Isn't it always, Omegamon?"


	2. Chapter 1: The Invitation

**Chapter 1: The Invitation**

A light gust of wind swept across a wide, grassy field of the Digital World below. This world was filled with all sorts of different lands and terrains. There were thick forests, frigid tundra, arid deserts, and beautiful mountains. Only Digimon, creatures of all shapes and sizes, lived in this world. The species of Digimon varied widely, ranging from small fish to medium-sized mammals to large dragons. Some lived in societies while others roamed the land. Generally speaking, the world tended to be peaceful, as many digimon weren't out looking for a fight. However... some were.

A crimson, bipedal dragon hovered high above the clouds as he looked down at the Digital World. He used his broad, sentient Caledfwlch wings to keep him aloft. From his vantage point in the sky, he looked down the length of his Ambrosius lance and breathed calmly.

His name was Examon and he was the defender of the United Dramonic Coalition.

In that moment, Examon wasn't just admiring the view. There were five digimon in the process of invading the United Dramonic Coaltion's territory, and he had already determined that they weren't just there for a friendly visit. It wasn't the first time this place had been attacked by bandits or invaders...

The crimson dragon digimon watched a large, orange, dinosaur digimon known as MetalGreymon stomp across the plain of grass. The species of MetalGreymon were that of cyborg theropods, as evident by his large metal claw and the large missile port on his chest. He hulking dinosaur stomped forwards at a steady pace.

"Come on, guys!" the MetalGreymon shouted, looking over his metal shoulder, to the four digimon behind him. They were all cyberbiotic, like MetalGreymon was.

"On my way!" said an orange, serpent-like dragon known as a Megadramon.

Beside him was a grey, slightly more refined variation of Megadramon, Gigadramon. "Understood," Gigadramon replied, flying forwards.

Walking under the two dragons was another ferocious robotic dinosaur digimon known as MetalTyrannomon. He nodded and followed after MetalGreymon.

Lastly, there was a crimson dinosaur with white hair and blades on his arms: a WarGrowlmon. "Got it, Boss!" he said to MetalGreymon.

Ahead of them was a small village comprised of about thirty huts and houses varying between one and two stories. That was their destination.

"Let's take everything they got!" the MetalGreymon rumbled, grinning savagely. The metal cover concealing the missile ports on his chest suddenly swung open, revealing the cannon holes. "Giga Destroyer!"

Two black missiles with snarling mouths launched from MetalGreymon's breast and soared through the air with a high-pitched screaming sound. The local dragon digimon ('dramon', they are colloquially called) of the village saw these five bandits attacking and either began to flee for their lives or put themselves between the raiders and the village to defend it.

Screams and cries of the digimon sounded out as they saw both the missiles and the raiders charging towards their village. Many scrambled to get away as they couldn't hope to face up to five strong Ultimate levels. Others, however, determined to protect their village at all costs, ran out to defend.

"Not _more_ raiders!" a Flamedramon villager shouted frantically, running out of his large hut to defend the town.

The green, draconic form of a Coredramon ran up beside him, with emerald flames coming from his mouth. "They're Ultimates this time! I sure hope that we can hold them off until- AH! Look!" he yelled, pointing with fear towards the two gigantic missiles headed their way.

As the two missiles closed in, whistling as they approached, the two digimon could only raise their arms over their faces to protect themselves from the explosions that were soon to come. Being mere Champion levels, they knew that they probably wouldn't survive the blasts.

"Pendragon's Glory!" a calm voice called out from the sky, echoing down to the ground.

Examon's two lasers plummeted down from the inside of a cloud and blasted clear through the two giant missiles. Flamedramon and Coredramon watched as the explosives detonated in mid air before they could get close to the village. The explosions blew them backwards and rattled a few of the village's structures, but they were all spared injury and damage.

MetalGreymon's eye twitched with disbelief at his unexpected misfortune. "What the heck?!" he demanded, looking upwards at the cloud.

The Megadramon raider looked up as well, his cannons raised. "I think i-!" His voice was cut off when a third emerald laser pierced through the top of his helmet, killing him instantly and causing him to burst into data.

"No!" the Gigadramon beside him shouted, horrified.

"Megadramon!" MetalGreymon yelled in fury.

"Pendragon's Glory!" the voice repeated.

Another high-powered laser blasted down and ripped through the Gigadramon's chest, annihilating his digicore. The Gigadramon slumped forwards in the air with a gasp. His arms and tail went slack and, from the cannons that made up his hands, two missiles fired aimlessly downwards.

The MetalGreymon leader gritted his teeth as the Gigadramon's deletion was accentuated by the two explosions in the grass below the data cloud. "Damn it!" he roared, drowning out the voice of their assailant as it spoke again. He looked to the remaining land-bound bandits, pointing his giant metal claw towards the cloud where the laser beams fired from. "MetalTyrannomon! WarGrowlmon! Fire at that cloud! Kill whoever's in it!"

"R-Right," the MetalTyrannomon agreed, though noticeably shaken at two of his comrades being taken down so easily. "Nuclear Laser!"

While preparing two more missiles to fire, MetalGreymon watched as MetalTyrannomon raised his left arm. MetalTyrannomon fired strong blasts of dark blue energy from the cannon in his palm into the thick of the cloud, despite not knowing who he was aiming at. However, MetalGreymon noticed that his other bandit, WarGrowlmon, wasn't attacking.

"WarGrowlmon! Is your hair in your ears again?! I said to fire!" MetalGreymon yelled, turning to him. He noticed that the WarGrowlmon was looking down at a sparking hole that was made in his upper body armour, just around the cannons.

"M-MetalGreymon," he said, looking down at the puncture with obvious worry. "Boss, there's something wrong. I got hit; this weird bullet or shell went into my armour and I can feel it doing som- AH!"

The virus-carrying shell that had pierced inside his machinery activated abruptly. WarGrowlmon let out a cry of pain as electricity suddenly surged through his body, his metal parts serving to conduct the shock further. He reared his head back with a roar before the electrocution became too much for his body. His muscles seized up and his legs buckled, the large dinosaur crashing down on his chest. He lay there unconscious, though his leg and tail still twitched.

MetalGreymon watched with disbelief as another raider was taken out no more than fifteen seconds after the last one. "That's it!" he roared, the ports on his chest smoking. "Blow him out of the sky, MetalTyrannomon! Giga Destroyer!"

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" MetalTyrannomon replied frantically. He shot his Nuclear Laser attack wildly at the cloud high above them. "How is it hitting us so accurately from so far away?!"

"Just keep suppressing and I'll blow him away!" MetalGreymon replied, watching as his two missiles flew from his chest at high speeds towards the single cloud over head.

Several seconds later, the low-hanging cloud exploded and the white mist was blown outwards in a fiery bloom.

"...Think you got him?" MetalTyrannomon asked, squinting his eyes. "Maybe there was more than one. I can't see..."

"Damn well better did," the dinosaur bandit spat.

The grey dinosaur, however, wasn't convinced. He kept watching the sky until his eyes finally widened. "I see something!" he shouted, raising his cannon-infused hands in the thing's direction.

MetalGreymon growled and looked up, his blue eyes scanning the sky. He saw it too. A dot falling away from the explosion like a comet. He grinned. "Hah! I told you I'd get him!"

MetalTyrannomon kept watching it as it came closer. "...It's falling this way! I-It's red! It's descending three times faster than either Megadramon or Gigadramon could!"

MetalGreymon's smirk disappeared and he started to back up with fear as Examon plummeted towards them, coming nearer and nearer. He could start to make out the creature's body. It was a crimson red dragon man. His massive wings were plated with glistening silver armour and his wingspan was cloaked around his body. While too far away for MetalGreymon to see properly, the red dragon digimon had several horns coming out of his head and his long, whip-like tail was shuddering in the wind behind him. With his wings tucked in, it was clear he was freefalling on purpose.

"Draconic Impact!" the dragon digimon shouted, plummeting towards them like a determined meteor.

MetalGreymon's eyes widened and he backed up further as the enemy approached at high velocity. "He's going to ram us! Shoot him!"

"Nuclear Laser!" MetalTyrannomon roared, wide-eyed as the digimon rapidly approached. The lasers hit the dragon's folded wings but they glanced off due to the digimon's speed. Upon seeing his attacks do nothing, MetalTyrannomon's fear took over and he turned around and tried to run away.

"Boss!" the dinosaur bandit yelled, futilely trying to run away from the plummeting dragon. The large dragon digimon slammed into him, crushing him into the ground with enough force to delete MetalTyrannomon and send out a powerful shockwave out from the point of impact. The blast caused dirt and grass to explode into the air and it knocked MetalGreymon onto his tail.

Wincing, the remaining dinosaur raider quickly got to his feet and saw before him a large cloud of dust coming from a crater.

"Wh...Who are you?!" MetalGreymon demanded.

The dragon digimon walked up and out of the crater, his broad wings outstretched and a long, black lance that doubled as a rifle in his right claws. He stared at the bandit with calm, green eyes. "My name is Examon. I'm the defender of this area," he explained in a cool growl, narrowing his eyes. "Leave now and you'll live..."

The dinosaur, however, refused to back down. He dug his feet in and glared. Examon returned it, not moving either. The two found themselves in a standoff.

"You're just a puny salamander!" MetalGreymon growled. "Not even you can withstand this! Giga Destroyer!"

Smoke exploded from the cannon ports and two gigantic missiles screeched as they flew through the air towards Examon. Examon gritted his jagged teeth as they approached. Before hitting him, he managed to quickly cloak the armoured wings called 'Caledfwlch' around him.

MetalGreymon watched as the two missiles exploded on contact; they detonated into a massive fireball which incinerated the surrounding grass. A small grin formed on his face as he was absolutely positive he hit his target.

"Did I kill him?" he asked gleefully while the heat and wind from the explosion blew his hair back.

The cyborg dinosaur looked into the black smoke and raging flames, looking for signs of life. When he didn't see anything in the miniature mushroom cloud, he sighed with relief. "Good... The flying newt's toast..."

He was about to turn around, but saw the sun reflect off of something within the thick haze of smoke. His eyes widened with fear and he looked towards the where the center of the explosion was. "No..." he gasped. The wind blew the smoke back, first, to reveal the tip of a metal lance pointed at him. He followed the lance leading back to inside its owner, hidden inside a protective tent created by his sentient, armoured wings.

Although Examon's wings smoked, they were plated with chrome digizoid, a highly durable metal. MetalGreymon watched as Examon slowly opened his wings, revealing himself to be completely unharmed.

"Not possible," MetalGreymon gasped, his eyes wide.

"You're outclassed," Examon spoke, narrowing his green eyes slightly while raising his Ambrosius lance a precise few degrees. "Avalon's Gate!"

A shell exploded from the muzzle of the Ambrosius and shot towards MetalGreymon. It detonated on contact with MetalGreymon's neck and the remaining shards dug into his orange scales. The raider winced slightly with pain and took a step back, but remained standing. Expecting to be killed, MetalGreymon was initially surprised, but it soon turned to joy. "Hah! You may have good range and defense, but your offense s-ugh!" The MetalGreymon's body suddenly tensed up, his muscles contracting tightly. "Wh... Wha's gu'in' on?!" he demanded, collapsing to his knees. His head, arms, and tail drooped and his tongue hung out of his mouth.

"That's special ammunition. That particular shell's shrapnel is infected with a virus meant to incapacitate you by affecting your muscles," Examon explained coolly. The crimson dragon man raised his lance and rested it on his spiked shoulder. "You will be unconscious in a few moments."

The MetalGreymon gave an incoherent sentence of protest before his eyes slowly closed and he fell forwards. He hit the grassy plain with a crash and lay there, unmoving.

Cheers resounded into the air from the guards of the nearby village. Examon raised an eyebrow and turned, seeing various digimon run over to him.

"Examon!" Flamedramon shouted graciously, jogging up to him.

"You made it just in time!" Coredramon said, his beaming face mimicked by the several other dramon behind him. "Thanks a lot!"

Examon grunted and looked over to the WarGrowlmon and MetalGreymon. "I left two of them alive... I don't feel right about deleting them while they're unconscious."

"We could probably take them to the jail in the region's capital," Coredramon explained, looking at the dragon warrior with starry eyes. "You made it seem so easy."

"I guess they haven't seen an Examon before," Examon humbly replied in a calm voice. "They underestimated me because they didn't know I'm a Mega II level. If they had been five Mega levels, it wouldn't have been so easy."

Flamedramon smiled and nodded. "Still, you sure saved our-!" His eyes widened upon seeing something behind Examon. "B-Behind, you, Examon!"

Examon gritted his teeth and started to turn, his grip around the Ambrosius' trigger tightening. He was sure that the two raiders had been knocked out for a good hour. The dragon turned completely and aimed the lance on reflex upon seeing a figure walking across the grassland towards them.

At first glance, he noticed that the digimon was much shorter than the previous raiders; he looked around Examon's size if not shorter. He had a humanoid body and was clad in pristine, white plate armour. The armour had shimmering, crimson plates at the shoulders, elbows, and knees. The wind blew and caused the lengthy strands of white hair flowing out from the back of his knight-like helmet to bluster in the wind, in the same direction as his long, fluttering, red cape. He also had two red belts buckled around his torso.

However, the dragon digimon's eyes were drawn to the long, conical lance in the digimon's right hand and the large, dome-like shield in his left. Examon narrowed eyes and got into a defensive stance, his sentient wings fanning out to protect the dragon digimon behind him. He aimed the Ambrosius at the knight digimon.

Examon wasn't sure why, but something about him made him think this approaching digimon was draconic in nature. Maybe it was the red, metal, dragon ears that decorated his helmet. Even if he was a dragon digimon, Examon didn't want to take any chances, especially given how strong and confident the digimon looked.

To his surprise, after raising his lance, the digimon cast down his shield and stuck his own lance deep into the ground. Examon watched the knight raise his arms to signal that he was submitting and meant no ill-will. As the digimon continued to approach, leaving the range of his weapon and shield, Examon slowly lowered the Ambrosius and walked towards him to meet him.

"So..." the knight said in a slightly gruff but noble voice. He stopped a few meters away from Examon and looked at him with golden eyes. "Your name is Examon. The one they call 'the Dragon Emperor'."

"I am..." Examon replied sceptically, though his lance was lowered enough that the tip touched the ground. "Though it's really just something they like to call me around here. I'm not an emperor by any stretch... I just protect these lands from hostile and evil digimon. ...Who are you?"

"Dukemon. Dukemon of the Royal Knights," he explained with a polite smile, lowering his hands.

Examon's eyes widened slightly. "The... Royal Knights...?" he asked in disbelief. He had heard of the Royal Knights several times. They were an order of knightly digimon who worked together to keep order and peace within the Digital World, often battling strong and evil enemies. It wouldn't be a stretch to say they were famous.

"That's right," he replied. Dukemon turned and looked at the unconscious WarGrowlmon and MetalGreymon raiders. "You've been busy. Want me to take these two troublemakers off of your hands?"

"...You didn't come all the way here just for that," Examon replied.

"Okay, I'll get to the point," Dukemon said, grinning slightly. "I'm here under orders from Alphamon, the leader of the Royal Knights. He's summoning you to our headquarters."

Examon raised an eyebrow. "...Me? What could he want with me?"

"M-Mister Dukemon," Flamedramon spoke up nervously. "Examon's not in any trouble, is he?"

"The opposite," Dukemon explained, taking an envelope which was secured inside the two belts around his waist. He offered the piece of paper to Examon, who nodded and took it. On it was Digicode that translated to "To Examon". The dragon turned the envelope over and saw that it had been closed with Alphamon's personal seal.

He opened it and began reading.

"Alphamon heard of your skills in protecting this area. Between you and me, I think he wants to recruit you as one of the Royal Knights," the Royal Knight explained as Examon read.

"...What?" Examon asked, his eyes widening.

"Examon? A Royal Knight?" Coredramon asked, liking the idea.

"...So, will you join me?" Dukemon asked with a friendly smile. "By the look on your face, I can tell that I was right."

Examon looked down and frowned in thought. "I'm... honoured by the invitation, but..." he looked to the villagers. "I can't leave. I have a duty to protect the dragon digimon of this land."

"I admire your sense of duty, Examon, but think about it..." Dukemon said. "By joining the Royal Knights, you'll not only be able to protect this area, but you'll also be able to protect the entire world. I watched the fight just a few minutes ago and you have already proved your worth to me. And, of course, this territory, the United Dramonic Coalition, will continue to receive the full protection of the Royal Knights, but at a greater priority level with you around."

Examon studied him carefully before closing his eyes in thought. He knew Dukemon had a point and joining the Royal Knights felt like a good opportunity for him. A part of him felt a bit reluctant, as his sense of duty urged him to continue to protect this land specifically. However, as Dukemon said, he would still be able to do that as part of the Royal Knights.

He continued to ponder it. It wasn't as though he had any close friends or family within the United Dramonic Coalition, only acquaintances. Examon had always been a bit of a loner, even after assuming the unofficial role as region's protector. He always wanted to be a part of an elite team like the Royal Knights and he felt he would be able to get a lot done if he did.

"...Okay. I accept," he answered with a light grin.

Dukemon folded his arms and nodded approvingly, a small smile present behind his helmet. "I'm glad, Examon," he said. He then chuckled slightly. "OuRyuumon is going to [i]_love[/i]_ this..."

The white and red knight outstretched a hand towards him amiably. Examon, slightly surprised, looked down at the hand for a moment. He then smiled and took it in his claws, shaking it firmly.

The dragon digimon turned towards the nearby guards and civilians. "Will you all be okay?"

Flamedramon nodded. "If anything, this'll be better for us. I'll be sure to tell the mayor at the capital."

Examon nodded quietly and looked back to Dukemon. "When do we leave?" he asked.

The Royal Knight shook his claws and then released them, taking his arm back. "Now. Unless you need more time..."

"Now's fine," Examon replied. He frowned and looked over at the two unconscious digimon. "Except..."

Turning towards them as well, Dukemon folded his arms. "Oh, right. Our esteemed friends here..." he mused. "...I'll take the WarGrowlmon and you take the MetalGreymon. There will be a cozy spot in our dungeon for them." He glanced at Examon with a smirk.

With a restrained smile, Examon walked over to the MetalGreymon, hoisted his tail over his shoulder and began the painstaking process of dragging him. Examon may have been a Mega level, but the MetalGreymon raider was still incredibly heavy.

He glanced over and saw Dukemon doing the same as him, dragging the WarGrowlmon by the tail after fastening the lance and shield he dropped to his back. Examon couldn't help but be impressed that the knight was actually overtaking him despite being slightly smaller and lower in level than him. "I guess that's why he's a Royal Knight," Examon said to himself, under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Dukemon asked, poking his head above the WarGrowlmon's tail to look over at him.

"Nothing," the dragon answered.

Examon looked at the letter in his hand and smiled to himself. "[i]_So... I'm going to become a Royal Knight...[/i]_"


	3. Chapter 2: The Royal Knights

**Chapter 2: The Royal Knights**

Examon and Dukemon grunted with effort as they dragged their unconscious prisoners over the lush, far-reaching grasslands. The red dragon digimon clenched his teeth, stopping for a moment to arch his stiff back, hearing various uncomfortable popping noises as a result.

Dukemon, who was leading the way, stopped as well and looked over his shoulder at Examon. "How are you holding up?" he asked with a light smirk that Examon was growing familiar with.

"Just fine," Examon assured him.

"Think of it as training," the crimson knight replied. "We could always switch if you want the lighter one."

"Really. I'm fine..." he replied. He could feel his toe claws digging into the cool grass and dirt as he began pulling the MetalGreymon raider again. He started to grow more conscious of himself. He was wondering if he was fit to be in the presence of Alphamon and the others. Meeting the Royal Knights would essentially be more important than any job interview he could think of and at this rate, he would be sweaty and treading dirt through their headquarters. Examon wasn't normally overly concerned with his appearance or hygiene, especially since he lived in a region inhabited by Dramon, but this day was different. Very different. This meant having the ability and means to protect more than just his home region. If all went well, he would be able to prevent destruction all over the world, bringing it even closer to peace. Or so he hoped.

As they started moving, Examon looked into the distance to see a gigantic castle, which he could assume was the Royal Knights' headquarters by what looked like the Royal Knights' flag flying over one of the towers. This was the first time he left the United Dramonic Coalition's general territory since arriving there. He certainly hadn't been in this area before. "Is that your headquarters?" Examon asked, motioning with his head towards the impressive castle.

"That's right," Dukemon said, his gold eyes seeming fixed on it as he continued to pull the WarGrowlmon. "It's also our home."

"Is it?" Examon asked, speeding up so he could look over at him.

Dukemon nodded and looked over at the him with an eyebrow raised, as Examon could see through the helmet's eye slits. "That's not a problem for you, is it?"

"No," he replied, calmly. "I don't have any emotional attachment to my house in the United Dramonic Coalition. It was just a place to sleep."

Dukemon grinned at him slightly, though it was barely visible behind his metal visor. "You don't have to act cool to impress me, you know."

"Who's acting?" Examon asked, returning a small grin. He was amused by Dukemon's thought process. However, Dukemon wasn't entirely wrong. Examon did want to show that he was serious about joining the Royal Knights.

Chuckling, Dukemon led them further towards the castle. The Royal Knights' headquarters was an amazing sight to behold. The stronghold was built higher and grander than any building Examon had ever seen. Its craftsmanship was extraordinary. The walls were awe-inspiring enough, standing tall and appeared home to various digimon patrolling them on the ramparts. The thing that caught Examon's attention the most was the giant building beyond the walls, in the inner portion of the castle. The main building stood taller than the walls and with three tall spires around it. Two of the towers were near each side of the entrance and one was near the back of the stone keep. There were several stone bridges connecting the main building, the watch towers, and the ramparts to one another. It was clear that this was for easier mobility from place to place.

As they grew nearer to the primary gate, across from the deep moat, Examon could see more of the headquarters. The main building itself had a number of balconies and walkways, as well as entrances and exits for those able to fly, like himself. The structure's top appeared level and gave foundation to a wide, octagonal shaped building. The castle's coat of arms, which he assumed was the symbol of the Royal Knights, was flown from a flag at the top of the building.

"It's incredible," Examon spoke, although the stiff muscles in his back and winged arms distracted him slightly.

"You'll get used to it," Dukemon answered. His voice then became a bit fonder. "That said, I wouldn't trade it for the world."

The dragon glanced at Dukemon and smiled faintly. "You enjoy being a Royal Knight, then?"

Dukemon closed his eyes and nodded. "You could say that... though it would be an understatement."

"I see... This is a bit embarrassing..."

"What is?" Dukemon asked, looking over at him.

"I don't know as much about you Royal Knights as I probably should, given that I'm going to become one..." Examon admitted. "I know vague details... that you all protect the world and have beaten some tough opponents before, but..."

Smiling, Dukemon shook his head dismissively. "Well, at least you're honest. I respect that..." he replied. "Those blanks will be filled in soon enough, Examon."

Examon nodded. "...And the other knights? What are they like?" he questioned, both curious and apprehensive at the idea of meeting all the other Royal Knights.

"They all have different personalities," Dukemon said, seeming to pick up on his hesitation. "Everybody gets along with people differently. Somebody who I think is stuck up could end up being your closest friend for all I know."

"I guess that's true..." Examon replied.

As the two of them headed towards the lowered drawbridge, Examon was surprised to see a group of broad, armour-wearing, humanoid digimon run over. One of ran up to Dukemon and bowed his head respectfully.

"Sir Dukemon. You're back," the Knightmon replied.

Dukemon nodded and suddenly let go of the unconscious WarGrowlmon's tail, letting it slide off his shoulder and hit the ground. "I didn't mean to be late. I was helping Examon here," he explained, prompting Examon to nod politely at them when the group of Knightmon looked over.

The Knightmon, who seemed to have seniority over the other ones, looked over at the MetalGreymon and WarGrowlmon lying in the grass. "Sir Dukemon, who are they...?"

"Raiders," Dukemon explained bluntly. "Put them in chains and lock them up. Don't forget to deactivate their weapon systems too."

"Right away," the Knightmon replied dutifully, nodding to his men.

Examon released the MetalGreymon's tail and sighed with relief now that he didn't have to drag him anymore.

"By the way, guys," Dukemon added, prompting the Knightmon to stop what they were doing and look at him. "This, here, is Examon. He's going to be joining us, so treat him like you would any other Royal Knight."

A few of the Knightmon looked at Examon and then seemed to cast silent glances between one another. However, they all nodded at Dukemon. "Of course. It's an honour to meet you, Sir Examon."

"Likewise..." Examon replied, although he couldn't help but pick up on some discomfort from the Knightmon. It made him feel uncertain all of a sudden. Was it because he's a dragon? Dukemon was draconic, but he at least looked humanoid, like they did. Examon started to wonder if the other knights were all strictly humanoid as well, and if his species would cause a fuss. He shook his head with a dismissive waver. They had probably never seen an Examon before, like the raiders.

Dukemon put his gauntlet on Examon's spiked shoulder and pulled him slightly, urging him along. "One good thing about being a Royal Knight is that you don't have to do everything by yourself anymore," he explained.

"Guess I'll have to get used to that..." Examon muttered, glancing at Dukemon's hand on his shoulder and suddenly noticing how informal the knight was around him. Being a Royal Knight, he expected Dukemon to be more... sophisticated. He couldn't really complain though, as it made him more comfortable at the idea of joining the Royal Knights, if only slightly.

Dukemon looked over and grinned at him as they passed through the gate and into the courtyard which was adorned with cobblestones. "It took me some getting used to too."

The draconic knight led the dragon towards the broad, guarded entrance of the main building. The two Knightmon guards went to open the door for them, but Dukemon raised his hand, gesturing them to stop so he could do it himself. "We're knights, guys, not kings. We can handle a door," Dukemon said to them. The knight shot a grin at Examon. "They're new too."

The two Knightmon apologized and went back to their posts as Dukemon opened the door, walking inside with Examon following. They stepped into the entrance hall and Examon looked around at the new environment. The first thing he noticed was the feeling of a soft rug against the soles of his scaled feet. The rug was draped along the long, stone hall, leading to another door at the top of some stairs at the opposite end. There were a few windows and sconces for holding torches along the stone wall of the hall, but not much else.

Examon started walking forwards, following Dukemon down the hall. As he had a very long, skinny tail, it was often awkward. It alternated between whipping and dragging behind him as he walked. Suddenly, he felt a sharp, incredibly intense pain at the end of his tail. Examon heard himself let out a cross between a yelp and a roar.

In his great pain, he noticed Dukemon spin around with alarm. Examon quickly turned, nearly tripping over his taut tail, to see that the two Knightmon guards had closed the front doors on his tail. He heard two cries of worry suddenly sound out from the other side of the doors. The doors in question suddenly swung open to reveal the two Knightmon guards bowing their heads with their eyes shut tight.

"We're sorry! We're sorry! Sorry! We're so very sorry!" they stammered with fear and embarrassment.

Dukemon couldn't help but laugh and look over at Examon, who was quickly pulling his tail over to hold the sore point and inspect the damage. Pain shot up the troublesome appendage as he grazed the tender scales with his claw, causing him to wince.

"Better your tail than my hair," Dukemon said, turning his head to show and point at the long strands of white hair coming from his helmet. "It wouldn't be the first time it had happened."

"Grm..." Examon snarled lightly, his face blushing deeply at the fact he reacted so dramatically... even if it did hurt like hell. Even so, he should have handled that much better. He hoped that next time he wouldn't make such a fool of himself. "Don't... worry about it..." he mumbled, looking over his shoulder at the two Knightmon to show them that he had no hard feelings. He hoped that Dukemon couldn't see his flushed face due to his already red scales.

"Are you alright?" the Royal Knight asked, though grinning, making Examon worry that he might have noticed. "That long tail must be cumbersome. I know my hair and cape can be at times."

"I was just surprised. That's all," the hopefully-soon-to-be knight insisted, letting go of his tail and flicking it to test out the sore muscles. "And it can be... The difference is, you can cut your hair and choose not to wear a cape."

"That's true... but I won't," Dukemon replied, winking at him before starting to walk up the stairs. "I like the way they look."

Despite his pain, Examon managed a smirk and followed him until they reached the top of the short flight of stairs. He stopped behind Dukemon when the knight halted in front of more wide, reinforced, wooden double doors. "What's in there?" Examon asked curiously.

Dukemon walked to the doors and pulled them open, his red cape flowing from the gust of air and nearly hitting Examon in the face when he did. "The foyer," he explained. "The entrance room to the main building of the castle. This building has pretty much everything we need to live here."

Examon looked at him with heightened curiosity. "Oh?"

Nodding, Dukemon explained. "Yeah. We have plenty of bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, the council room, bathrooms with working plumbing, a medical bay, a leisure room, a chapel to Yggdrasil, the war room, a library, the dungeons, the sparring room and gym, a communications room, the computers room, and other stuff too."

"That's a lot..." he observed.

"Well, we do live here, after all," the Royal Knight replied. Dukemon then walked through the doors and into the wide room.

Following, Examon looked around to take in his surroundings. They stood in a large, octagonal room with doors on each wall except for the two diagonal walls next to the door they just walked in. Also in an octagonal shape were the ten, stone grey pillars circling the open center of the room. They stretched up to the tall, stone ceiling overhead. Examon took a step forwards and felt his bare, clawed feet touch a cool, smooth, marble floor, causing a very soothing feeling against his scales. The floor's design was a mixture of greys, dark blues, and greens.

Scanning the room, Examon saw that the two doors on the side walls led to hallways, and the two doors on the far diagonal walls led to stairs. Between those was a large set of opened double doors which led to a long, wide hall.

He also noticed three other things in the foyer. Digimon.

There were three digimon off to the right side standing between two of the pillars, chatting.

Dukemon walked to the center of the room, grabbing their attention. Examon cautiously followed him into the open part of the foyer.

"Hey there, guys," Dukemon greeted, recognizing these unknown digimon.

Examon walked forward slightly, but kept his distance from them, partially because he didn't want to seem too familiar with them and partially to scope them out. He guessed that was just a habit of his.

He watched Dukemon walk up to the trio of what looked like knights.

"Heya, Dukemon," one of them said. Examon looked at the speaker, the tallest of the four knights. He was largely humanoid in form but had distinctive dragon characteristics, like the two large horns on his head and the two wings – blue on the outside and pink on the inside – protruding from his back. He also wore extravagant – almost noble-looking – armour with a large golden V-crest on it. As blue as his armour were his fingerless gloves and tights. He also appeared to have a white, form-fitting suit underneath everything else, as Examon couldn't tell why the exposed parts of his body weren't the same colour as his blue wings.

"Where have you been? I was trying to find you this morning," another voice said, diverting Examon's attention to the digimon, a quite short knight who, like the other one, had draconic characteristics, such as his reptilian body and tail. In terms of height, he was only as tall as their shoulders, but he wore flashy, golden armour over most of his body, which made sure he would never be overlooked.

With a claw, he idly scratched a piece of his armour, which protected his face, feet, chest, shoulders, arms and groin. The shoulder and waist plates also seemed to have curious-looking turbines inside them, though they weren't turned active at the moment. Unlike his two counterparts, he wasn't wearing anything under his armour, which was obvious since the scales of his chest, upper legs, and biceps were exposed. Examon knew that this digimon was definitely of the Veemon-line. He suspected the other one might be, too.

"Special mission from Alphamon," Dukemon explained to them. He looked over his shoulder gesturing towards Examon. "I was supposed to find this guy."

The third knight looked over towards Examon; if Examon had been a less composed digimon than he was, he might have been intimidated by the digimon's appearance. The knight was donning royal purple armour, which seemed unique to Examon for some reason. He also noticed that the digimon was wearing form-fitting, violet clothing underneath his armour. The humanoid knight seemed to have a skull motif to his armour, as there was a skull on top of the sash hanging from his waist between his legs, on his two shoulder plates, and his helmeted face was also skull-like, making him fearsome... except for the two purple tassels coming from his helmet.

"And... what does Alphamon want with him, exactly?" the violet knight asked, looking at Examon with scrutiny.

Examon cleared his throat. "My name is Examon," he introduced himself, hoping they would do the same. "It's an honour to meet you."

The short, gold-armoured knight was the first one to reply. "I'm Magnamon," he responded. The knight walked over and outstretched his hand, to which Examon courteously shook it. "It's nice to meet you too, Examon."

"Examon..." the blue, winged knight echoed, as if he found the name familiar. "Uh, well, my name's UlforceVeedramon. Ulforce for short."

"Craniamon," the purple knight introduced himself tersely. He placed his gloved hands on his hips and eyed Examon with his piercing red eyes. "So what _are_ you doing here, if you don't mind answering?"

"Don't be so rude to our guests, Craniamon," Magnamon chastised, looking over his shoulder.

"It's fine," Examon reassured them. He met eyes with Dukemon and nodded at him.

"Alphamon invited Examon here to become the newest member of the Royal Knights," Dukemon explained.

"...Huh?" questioned Magnamon, turning around to look at Dukemon.

"What?" Craniamon demanded, looking between Dukemon and Examon. "This dragon is to be a Royal Knight?"

After his initial shock, UlforceVeedramon glanced over at Craniamon. "Hey, Craniamon. Three other dragon Royal Knights standing right here, you know," he reminded him with some humour in his voice.

"You three may be draconic, but you at least _look_ like knights," Craniamon replied, frowning. "Adding a full blown dragon to our ranks tarnishes our status as knights. What's next? Sea serpent digimon?"

Magnamon sighed and shook his head. "This is the Sleipmon argument all over again. Just because he's a horse-man digimon... If this is Alphamon's decision, then that's good enough for me."

"Me too," Dukemon agreed, folding his arms and nodding. "It's what's on the inside that counts," he added, to which Craniamon seemed to scoff at himself. Examon wasn't sure why, but he could have sworn he saw Dukemon grimace slightly in response to Craniamon's reaction.

It was then that UlforceVeedramon's face seemed to light up at something. "Oh, I remember now. Examon! You're the so-called 'Dragon Emperor', right?" he said. His voice was sarcastic and standoffish. Examon, who was suddenly having second thoughts about coming here, turned to UlforceVeedramon, who continued.

"With a title like that, I guess the rest of us dragon digimon have to defer to you, don't we? I guess since you're that much better than us you get to have that title, don't you?" UlforceVeedramon spoke sarcastically, smirking slightly. "As a dragon digimon who's apparently beneath you, I suppose I should call you '_Ex-sama'_. Does that sound acceptable, your majesty?"

"Ulforce," Dukemon warned, casting a glare at the blue dragon. UlforceVeedramon merely grinned in response.

Examon gritted his teeth. He couldn't understand why they were reacting with so much hostility to him. Were his social skills that bad that he already made enemies of half of the knights he had met?

"I'm not an emperor of anybody," Examon replied, staring at UlforceVeedramon. With two out of the four Royal Knights already resistant to his joining, he could only imagine how the rest of them would respond. He turned to Dukemon next and bowed his head apologetically. "Maybe this was a mistake, Dukemon. Tell Alphamon that I'm grateful for the opportunity, but-"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Dukemon replied sharply, narrowing his eyes at him. "Craniamon has his spear up his rear, and Ulforce teases everybody. Just ignore them; I thought you had tougher scales than that."

Magnamon nodded in agreement. "You'll fit in in no time, Examon. You would only hate yourself later for passing up such an opportunity."

Examon raised his head and looked between the two. They did bring up good points. He felt he was better than to let a few derisive words keep him from putting himself in a position where he could help protect the world. Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon may be Royal Knights, but they were just digimon like him too.

"You're right, Dukemon," Examon answered. He turned to Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon calmly. "Whatever your first impressions are of me, I hope that you'll be able to look past them and work together with me in the future."

He noticed Magnamon smile and Dukemon nodded approvingly.

"I prefer to work alone," Craniamon responded, turning and walking towards the opened double doors across from the entrance.

UlforceVeedramon smiled and went to follow him. "Well, Ex-sama, if you _do_ become a Royal Knight, I know one person who's not going to be happy about it," he said with a slight chuckle before going through the doorway.

"Come on, Examon. This way," Dukemon said, following Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon.

"Who does he mean?" Examon asked, looking down at Magnamon, who was walking beside him.

"OuRyuumon," Magnamon answered.

"Is he one of the Royal Knights?" he asked him, remembering Dukemon mention his name when they first met.

"No. He wants to be though. He and Alphamon are very close friends," the Royal Knight explained. "He might as well be a Royal Knight since he's fought with us before and stays here at the castle, but it isn't official."

"If he and Alphamon are such close friends, then why isn't he a Royal Knight?"

Magnamon smiled. "If one thing can be said about Alphamon, it's that he's fair and impartial. That's part of why he's such a good leader. And that's why I trust him in choosing you as a Royal Knight," he told him. "As for why OuRyuumon isn't a Royal Knight... Well, I don't know Alphamon's reasons, but my guess is that it's his hotheadedness. Sure, Dukemon may be hotheaded at times too, but OuRyuumon is much harder to control when he gets worked up."

Dukemon glanced over his shoulder but kept walking. Examon turned his head forwards. "I see," he responded, walking out of the foyer and into a grand hall.

The hall around them was an amazing sight to behold. It was long and wide with a tall ceiling. In fact, Examon figured that the path from the entrance of the main building to here was large enough for even a MegaSeadramon to pass through without getting stuck. Again, he felt cold, marble tiles beneath his feet, but this time they were a golden beige colour, much like the walls and ceiling of the great hall. The whole room was very open, with zero furniture. There was another set of large double doors at the end of the hall, along with two smaller doors on the far ends of the side walls.

"Where are we going?" Examon questioned, looking around calmly, though inwardly he was impressed by the beautiful designs on the floor and walls.

"The council room," Dukemon explained, looking over his shoulder again. "It's where we discuss official matters."

Magnamon nodded. "The rest of the knights should be there; we were being summoned for a meeting when you and Dukemon arrived. I guess we know what it's about now."

"Didn't mean to ruin the surprise," Examon said with a calmed voice, glancing over at Magnamon with a raised eyebrow.

The short knight gave a soft chuckle. "I think that adding a knight to our ranks is enough excitement on its own."

Examon smiled slightly and looked forward, channeling his bravery and confidence. For as long as the hall was, it didn't feel as though it took long to reach its end; he saw Dukemon, who wasn't far ahead, pass through the doorway at the end of the great hall. Examon's heart was calm as he walked with Magnamon into what he was told was the council room.

As soon as Examon walked in the room, he noticed a stark difference in setting. The glamour of the great hall wasn't found in this room. The walls and floor were made of grey stone, giving the room a feeling of formal earnest and gravity. The next thing that caught his eye was a giant stained glass window at the back of the room, opposite from Examon. It glowed with white light as the sun shone in from outside. It reached from the floor to the ceiling and the picture was stunning. Displayed in the window was a picture of a digimon – a blue scaled dragon man by the look of it, not unlike Magnamon. However, he was taller and wore pristine white armour. If it weren't for the white colour of the armour and the wings, he would have said it was an Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, a digimon of the Veemon line like Magnamon and UlforceVeedramon. No, he was pretty sure he heard of another digimon similar, but much more rare: Imperialdramon Paladin Mode.

The window depicted him in a heroic stance, one arm arched with his fist clenched tight with determination, and the other arm pointing up with a large sword raised in the air. The sword's blade was etched with digicode. It said "Initialize".

"I'm glad you're all here," a strong, but low voice said, bringing Examon's thoughts back down to earth. He was embarrassed at himself for allowing himself to be distracted by the culture shock, though he didn't let that show.

Examon looked down from the window to the middle of the room. There was a large, circular table at the centre, made from the whitest stone. Around it were many seats, most of them with digimon sitting in them. At the far end of the round table, a knight in black armour stood up from his seat. The seat to his right was occupied by a white knight, who appeared to be looking at the standing digimon with some surprise on his face.

"I see you managed to find him, Dukemon," he said, looking at Dukemon who stopped walking and stood still.

"That's right," Dukemon replied. "And when I did, he was in the process of taking down two raiders. I would say you picked well, Alphamon." The crimson knight looked over his shoulder at Examon, giving him what he assumed was a grin behind his helmet.

The black Royal Knight named Alphamon nodded. He looked past Dukemon and into Examon's eyes. "Greetings, Examon. I'm grateful that you accepted my invitation," he said, his voice disarming and warm.

"The honour is all mine," Examon responded, bowing his head with genuine humility and respect.

"My name is Alphamon, and these are the Royal Knights," he explained, gently waving an arm out in front of him to gesture to the other digimon sitting around the table.

"Uhh... Alphamon... Who is this digimon?" a voice said.

Examon looked up and saw a brownish-gold dragon digimon looking over at him. He stood on short, rather stubby legs, but his long, serpent-like body made him quite tall, as tall as Examon even. Behind his long arms were large, black metal wings protruding from his back. He also had hair that was a dull purple colour, oddly.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled a bit and sat down in an empty chair. "This ought to be a good show. Don't say I didn't warn you, Ex-sama."

Alphamon looked over to the serpentine digimon. "OuRyuumon?" he said to him before looking to the others. "Royal Knights?" He locked eyes with Examon. "This is Examon. The newest and eleventh member of the Royal Knights. Make him feel welcome."

"What?! This is preposterous!" a voice shouted out.

"_Great_," Examon thought as he turned towards the voice. "_More outrage_."

Glaring at him were two green eyes behind a blue mask, which was under a leopard-themed helmet. The humanoid knight had brown and white armour, a blonde mane of hair, and two small, white wings. Drooping over the sides of his chair were the ends of a long, red scarf tied around his waist and a brown tail with a yellow orb at the end. "Alphamon, what possessed you to enlist _him_ as a member?"

"An Examon?" a different, male, yet slightly effeminate, voice spoke. Examon looked over and saw a knight that he could only describe as flamboyant. Any male knight who wears pink armour from head to toe can only be described as such. He also had several long yellow ribbons coming out of his armour. "Another very, very strange choice for a new Royal Knight you've made, Alphie. Such a dragon seems obscure for our team, but at least he's good-looking."

Examon blinked in surprise at that last comment. "_Well... that's better than nothing, I guess,_" he figured.

"A-Alphamon... You can't be serious!" shouted the dragon digimon that Examon now knew was called OuRyuumon. "Him?! Why him?!"

"Stop it, you guys," Dukemon said with some fire in his voice, glaring at the knights who protested.

"We'll talk later, OuRyuumon," Alphamon said to him, glancing over. He sighed and rubbed his head. "What part of 'make him feel welcome' was so difficult to understand?" he asked in a dry, exasperated voice.

"Hmph," OuRyuumon grunted, casting a glare at Examon as he stormed out of the council room and into the great hall.

"I told you, Omegamon," Alphamon spoke to the white armoured digimon beside him.

"Give them time," Omegamon responded.

Examon frowned at the commotion his presence caused. He certainly never had this effect back in the United Dramonic Coalition. This setting seemed like an acquired taste to him now. He hoped that the knights would warm to him after a few days, but he really couldn't guarantee that from the way things looked now.

He looked at the remaining two knights who really hadn't reacted strongly to the announcement. One was a white and gold armoured humanoid digimon with draconic features like light violet scales and leathery, purple wings. He also seemed to have red orbs in the palms on his hands.

The final Royal Knight was a surprise to Examon. The knight had the upper body of a man and the head and lower body of a horse, except he had six legs. He was clad in red armour and had large, golden ornamentations coming from his back. Adding to Examon's surprise, he also had purple hair much like OuRyuumon did. He also seemed to be sitting very awkwardly in his small chair, as he was half sitting and half standing due to his six legs.

Examon wondered if that digimon went through the same resistance as he did or not. The horse man digimon looked over at Examon and smiled, giving him a warm nod. Examon allowed a smile and returned the nod.

The shock and surprise seemed to die down and the atmosphere settled. Alphamon took this opportunity to speak again. "Okay, everyone... If you're all done marring Examon's perception of how kind and noble the Royal Knights are," he began, casting a particular glance to Craniamon, UlforceVeedramon, and the brown knight, "why don't we all introduce ourselves?" Alphamon sat back down and took a drink from the glass in front of him before looking at Examon. "You've already met Dukemon and I..."

Examon nodded politely. "Magnamon, UlforceVeedramon, and Craniamon as well," he explained.

The white knight that sat at Alphamon's right nodded to him. "My name is Omegamon. It's an honour to meet you and I look forward to seeing what you can do."

The pink knight who apparently found Examon attractive spoke up. "Well, it should be interesting to have you among our ranks, Examon. My name is RhodoKnightmon, but just 'Rhodo' will be fine as well," he replied, looking at Examon carefully. "What massive wings you carry. You know what they say about a digimon with big wings, don't you?"

"Let's assume he does, Rhodo," the white armoured, purple dragon man said, standing up and nodding at Examon. "I'm Dynasmon. Good to have you with us."

"Duftmon," the brown, feline-like knight said shortly, folding his arms. "Chief tactician of the Royal Knights."

Lastly, the red-armoured, horse knight spoke up. "And I'm Sleipmon. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, a smile forming. "It will be nice not to be the newest member anymore."

Examon nodded to all of them. "It's an honour to meet you all and to be chosen to join you. I hope we can become friends in the future."

Alphamon nodded and stood up. "You can all get acquainted later. For now, I need to speak with Examon in private to get him settled in. This meeting is over."

Nods came from around the round table and the Royal Knights rose to their feet, walking towards the door behind Examon. Examon tucked his wings in slightly as they started to pass, some not looking at him while others giving him nods or smiles. As they walked by him he felt Dukemon's hand pat the spikes on his shoulder. Examon looked over and Dukemon gave him a reassuring nod, which Examon appreciated.

A few seconds later, only Alphamon and himself remained in the council room. Examon couldn't help but glance up at the stained glass window of the Imperialdramon Paladin Mode again. "Who is that?" he asked.

Alphamon looked over his shoulder and wing, looking up at it. "Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. He was the founder of the Royal Knights."

"Is he the leader, then?" Examon questioned, walking over to Alphamon.

"No. That role fell to me," he explained, smiling a bit. "I have the title of Lord of the Empty Seat... That said, here at the Royal Knights, we treat each other as our equals. I respect the opinions of each member."

"Equal?" Examon asked. He certainly didn't feel like the others' equal, given the lukewarm reception he received.

"Don't mind them. They'll warm to you after awhile," Alphamon explained. "I expected such reactions when I decided to make you our eleventh member. A few of the knights have strong personalities along with more traditional views on what the Royal Knights should be. Sleipmon received a similar treatment, but now he's a fully integrated member of the Royal Knights who has tight bonds with most of them. ...I don't know why Ulforce is icy towards you, though; he's one of the more progressive knights..."

Examon grinned slightly. "I don't think he likes my title of 'Dragon Emperor'... I never even liked that title. They just called me that to scare potential bandits and raiders."

Nodding, Alphamon took his seat, the one that had its back to the window and faced the door, and looked over at him. "Well, you'll be fine, Examon. Now, there's a lot of business we need to get to. You might want to sit down; this will take awhile."

Examon took one of the seats that had been unoccupied, eager to get started. "I'm ready when you are, Alphamon..."

* * *

><p>His black, metal body dashed down the dark hall. He could hear the clanging of his paws against the floor as he ran. His eyes and sensors were on full alert.<p>

"Where is he?" he growled under his breath while running as fast as his legs could take him.

Finally, he turned into a room and saw the familiar body of a two-legged jackal digimon with big wings and long black hair. The fast wolf digimon screeched to a stop.

"Bro! Bro! Anubismon!" he shouted, panting.

The digimon turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. "BlackMetalGarurumon?" he asked, sounding as calm as ever. "What's up?"

"It's Examon!" BlackMetalGarurumon explained enthusiastically, rearing up on his hind legs for a moment to emphasize his excitement.

"What now?" Anubismon asked, narrowing his red eyes at him. "Did he kill those raiders we sent in to probe the territory?"

"No! Well! Yeah! Well! Sort of!" BlackMetalGarurumon tried to explain as clearly as he could.

"Slow down, brother..." Anubismon scolded, seeming annoyed at him again.

"He killed three of them and the other two were taken prisoner, but that's only the bad news!"

"...So what's the good news? Aside from the fact that we won't have to worry about paying those screw ups now."

BlackMetalGarurumon grinned widely. "Well, y'see. When I was watching them, after the fight, this other guy came over to Examon. ...It was Dukemon from the Royal Knights."

"Dukemon...?" Anubismon asked.

BlackMetalGarurumon nodded. "So, I watched from a distance, listening in with my range listening device, and Dukemon said that they wanted Examon to join the Royal Knights!"

"Great for him... And this is good for us _how_?" BlackMetalGarurumon's brother questioned.

"He agreed and went with them! That means that he won't be around to protect the United Dramonic Coalition! We'll be able to move in like you wanted!" BlackMetalGarurumon explained.

A grin appeared on Anubismon's face, causing BlackMetaGarurumon to be just as pleased. "Good work..." he said.

Happy with himself, BlackMetalGarurumon outstretched his paw and started examining it like it was no big deal. "Yeah, well..." he said coolly, he thought, at least. He then looked up at Anubismon. "Hey, why do we want to take control of that place again? It's full of smelly dragons. Why do you think they'd accept canine digimon as leaders?"

"They might not, but it won't matter," Anubismon explained. "The only reason all those factions of dragons banded together and formed the United Dramonic Coalition was so that they could all benefit from Examon's protection. Now that he's abandoned them to join the Royal Knights, that coalition will break apart easily due to in-fighting. And if we go in and attack them and take over, they'll be too weak to resist our rule. Then, instead of Examon, they'll be united under us, BlackMetalGarurumon."

"I don't really get the details, but I don't mind blowing digimon up if that's what you think will work best," BlackMetalGarurumon replied, smiling.

Anubismon chuckled softly. "That's what you're best at. Now come on, brother. Let's start planning our next move..."


	4. Chapter 3: Duking It Out

**Chapter 3: Duking It Out**

Alphamon talked with Examon for over an hour. They talked about many topics, like what it meant to be a Royal Knight, the Royal Knights' code of conduct, the duties they had around the castle, where everything was: including Examon's sleeping quarters. Examon even read his oath to join the Royal Knights.

Both were sitting at the white, round table. Examon watched as Alphamon stood up to stretch his muscles. He took this to mean that they were done. "Is that everything?" Examon asked for confirmation.

"I think so..." the leader of the Royal Knights said, stopping to think in case he had forgotten anything. "You're free to get settled into your new room. The sleeping quarters are on the second floor; if you get lost, just ask someone, and they'll be able to show you to it."

"Thank you," Examon told him, smiling a bit and nodding as he also rose to his feet. Even though Alphamon said that Royal Knights were to treat each other equally, Examon felt especially grateful to Alphamon for choosing him and trusting in his abilities and character despite never personally meeting him. He imagined it was a bold decision for Alphamon to make, choosing both a true dragon and a stranger. He could have risked making the Royal Knights question his authority, or so Examon assumed by what he had seen so far. "I'm sure I'll be able to find it on my own, though."

"It's a big castle," Alphamon pointed out. "I'm sure you could ask one of the knights to show you around. Dukemon, maybe? You two seem to be getting along."

Examon nodded. "We have been. He's been very good to me since I met him this morning," he explained, remembering Dukemon's friendly demeanour with him.

"It's good that you've gotten on his good side," Alphamon said with a small smile.

With curiosity and confusion, Examon decided to press the issue. "What do you mean?" he asked, wondering what Dukemon's bad side was like.

"I don't want to seem like I'm insulting him or anything. Dukemon is one of my most loyal and trusted friends. It's just that he can be... argumentative... when there's something he disagrees with. He's on the hotheaded side," Alphamon explained. He then went into a mutter. "Though not as much as OuRyuumon..."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Examon reassured him.

"Speak for yourself," Alphamon mumbled. "Anyways, is there anything from your old home that you want brought here?"

He closed his eyes and thought. "Maybe a few things, like the new ammo I was working on for the Ambrosius," he replied.

The Royal Knights' leader looked at him blankly. "...Ammo? I meant clothes or personal items."

"Oh, um..." Examon said sheepishly. "I don't have very much of value, but I suppose there's a few things I want. I'll make a list."

"Right..." Alphamon said, walking over to him and holding out his hand. "Well, Examon, it's good to have you with us. Make yourself at home."

Smiling, Examon took his hand firmly and shook it. "Thank you, Alphamon. I'll do my best."

"I expect nothing less," was his reply. Alphamon nodded and released his hand. "You're free to go now."

Examon nodded politely and turned around. He strode out of the council room with new found confidence in spite of his rocky reception. As of that moment, he was a Royal Knight.

"Examon, the eleventh Royal Knight," a voice said from nearby as Examon stepped into the great hall, as if it was narrating his thoughts right then.

He turned his draconic body to the left and saw the red-armoured, purple-haired, horse man Royal Knight smiling at him and walking over from the door to his left. "You're..." Examon trailed off. He was struggling to remember the Royal Knight's name, as he met so many that day.

"Sleipmon, the tenth Royal Knight," he replied with a smile, trotting up beside him. "It took me a few days to remember everybody's names."

"So until now, you were the newest member," Examon said, thinking. "How long ago since you joined?"

"Just six months. You'll feel at home soon enough," Sleipmon reassured him.

Examon looked over at him, inspecting his beast-like body. "I hope so... I heard that you received a similar treatment to me though."

Sleipmon grinned slightly. "Yeah, you could say that... But, as somebody who went through it, I'll tell you that you'll win all of their respect soon, though. Just be consistent in battle, don't start any fights, and you'll be fine. Once you get Duftmon to stop glaring at you all the time, you'll know you're fitting in."

"I appreciate that..." Examon looked over at the friendly beast knight with a small smile. He was silent afterwards, creating an awkward silence that Sleipmon was quick to break.

"Why did you decide to accept Alphamon's invitation to join, Examon?" the large knight asked.

"I want to change the world..." Examon replied with wishful yearning in his tone. He glanced at Sleipmon but chose not to go into details. "You?"

Sleipmon smiled. "The same as you and most of the others, I think," he explained. "I joined the Royal Knights so that I can help prevent death and deletion all over the Digital World. I don't believe that digimon killing other digimon is right."

"I agree with you there," he replied as they reached the end of the hall.

"I'm glad. I've debated several strategies with the other knights because of that mindset," Sleipmon explained, walking into the foyer before turning his horse-like body and looking over at Examon, who raised an eyebrow at the last comment. "Are you heading for your room? Want me to show you the way?"

Examon nodded, prompting Sleipmon to suddenly trot towards the closest of two doors to their right, the one leading into an enclosed staircase. Examon watched as Sleipmon fit into the staircase and started to make his way up to the second floor. Seeing that Sleipmon's wide body could fit, Examon soon followed, only needing to fold his wings slightly to fit into the flight of stone stairs.

"What's with UlforceVeedramon, Duftmon and Craniamon?" Examon asked as he followed Sleipmon up.

"Hm? What do you mean 'what's with Ulforce?'?" Sleipmon asked, looking over his shoulder. "He's a pretty funny guy, in my opinion. You don't like him?"

"It's not that," he responded, rubbing the wings on his arms while ascending the stairs. "Idon't think _he_ likes _me_..."

"That's strange..." Sleipmon mused. "I'll have to talk to him. As for Duftmon, he's a bit... peculiar. He takes some getting used to. And Craniamon has a bit of a melting period too. Neither of them really liked me when I first joined, but we're fine now, more or less. I got along with Ulforce pretty well though..."

Examon nodded. Sleipmon got to the top of the stairs and turned down a long, stone hallway with several torches on each side, which Examon entered as well. "I'll give them time. I guess it's dumb to think everything would happen immediately."

Sleipmon nodded and led him down the hall, passing several doors and entrances to various rooms. "Well, this is the wing of the floor where our living quarters are. Alphamon's room is at the very end of this hall, and the bathroom is at the opposite end," he explained.

"Good to know..." the crimson dragon replied.

With a smile, Sleipmon slowed down to look at him. "After I show you your room, are you up for a game of pool?"

Examon raised an eyebrow at him. He had never played this 'pool' before, though he was a bit curious to see what it was. However. "I think I'm just going to get settled in, Sleipmon. I've had a tiring day," he told him, looking at the cavalier. "...Another time, though."

Sleipmon smiled and nodded, slowing down in front of a room whose wooden door was ajar. "That's fine." He turned to the room and pushed the door open with his hand. "And this is it."

With a nod, Examon stepped in, curious to see what his new living quarters was like. Inside was a spacious room with floors and walls made of sturdy stone. On the opposite side of the room, there sat a bed that was large enough for not only Examon, but also his broad wings and long tail as well. In addition to the bed, there was a wooden desk, a dresser for clothes and armour to be stored in, a personal computer on top of the desk – the basic necessities. There was much that could be customized, if Examon wanted to, that is.

To top it off, there was a large window that could be opened fully to a small balcony on the other side, which he could fly out of. Examon wondered if this was a convenient coincidence, or if they tailored this room to suit him.

"Well, I'm going to go see if I can find the others. I hope you're comfortable here," Sleipmon said to him, turning to walk back down the hall.

"Thank you for your kindness," Examon told Sleipmon, though not turning around to look at him. The dragon digimon then walked inside his room.

Sleipmon smiled and continued his walking, his gait becoming slightly more jovial. "You're quite welcome," he murmured.

* * *

><p>Alphamon's cape fluttered behind him from a gust of wind that came when he opened the door from the great hall to one of the side hallways. He gazed at the floor as he walked into the familiar stone hallway, and a short, weighty sigh left his lips and heated his face behind the helmet he wore.<p>

Being the leader of the Royal Knights meant more than just leading them all into battle and keeping track of administrative duties. It also meant tempering all of the strong personalities that would often conflict with one another... and with ten – now eleven – personalities, that was not an easy task. This was especially the case with the stronger personalities of certain knights and members of the headquarters.

Alphamon looked ahead of him and groaned. Speaking of strong personalities...

A ways in front of him, he saw a recognizable, tall, gold dragon leaning against the wall of the hallway with his arms folded. OuRyuumon. And he didn't look happy.

For a moment, Alphamon palmed his face with annoyance and wondered if there was still time to turn around and escape; his black armour might have camouflaged him against the dark backdrop of the hallway, after all. Then again, he knew that he would have to deal with the dragon sooner or later. He figured he'd might as well follow his own example and face him now.

OuRyuumon glanced over at Alphamon out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't in a fury like Alphamon originally expected, instead he simply looked indignant and unamused. At that point, Alphamon would have almost preferred the hot-blooded anger.

"Oh. _Hello, Alphamon_," OuRyuumon said, his voice huffy and derisive. The dragon folded his arms more and looked in the opposite direction.

Alphamon sighed and walked up to him, stopping in front of OuRyuumon and looking up at the taller digimon. "OuRyuumon..."

The dragon in front of him remained silent, but it was clear that he was radiating his frustration.

While he felt a bit guilty, he wouldn't be dissuaded by OuRyuumon. "Look, OuRyuumon, I know-"

"Good," OuRyuumon said, turning his head to look down at Alphamon. "I was starting to worry you didn't realize you did something wrong."

Alphamon gritted his teeth slightly and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong... Examon is still the right choice for the eleventh knight. "

"What?! How can you say that?!" OuRyuumon asked fierily. "What about me?! And you can't hide behind the 'they're not ready for a dragon digimon like you' excuse now. He's a dragon, I'm a dragon, so... why, Alphamon?! You and me are-!"

Alphamon frowned and interrupted the tall, worked up dragon. "I'm not going to make you a Royal Knight just because of that. You know me better, OuRyuumon," he said to him firmly.

"And _you_ know _me_ better than some random guy who you never even _talked to_ until today!" OuRyuumon fired back. "Why would you make him a Royal Knight over me?! I bet I'm as capable, if not more, than he is!"

Their eyes became locked, Alphamon staring at him sternly. "Examon is collected, cool-headed, and mature. You're not," he bluntly told him.

OuRyuumon blinked and shrunk back slightly, looking insulted. "A-Alphamon..." He then scowled, snorted and turned his head away again. "Fine! Who cares what you think?!"

Alphamon reached up and put his hand on OuRyuumon's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "You do, obviously..."

His eyes looked at Alphamon's hand, but soon found themselves looking away again. "...Do not..." he retorted.

A smile appeared on Alphamon's face at OuRyuumon's response. "You wouldn't be so angry with me if you didn't, genius. You've always been a terrible liar."

"...Hmph..." OuRyuumon replied, still a bit annoyed but not denying what Alphamon said either.

The smile faded. Alphamon knew the problem wouldn't go away that easily. "OuRyuumon, look..." he spoke, sighing. "The decision I made wasn't a personal one. Examon was the type of digimon I needed this particular time. He's logical, calm, and has long-range capabilities. Plus, I've been trying to diversify the knights a bit to make some of the other members more open-minded."

"But you still won't make me a Royal Knight along with Examon..." OuRyuumon said knowingly, looking over at Alphamon.

Alphamon grimaced, feeling a tinge of guilt at OuRyuumon's words. "...Not yet..." he murmured, his turn to look off to the side. He forced himself to look back at the dragon. "But... that doesn't mean I don't value you. You're still a fantastic warrior and my trusted advisor and friend. It's just... you need to mature a bit first. You don't take things as seriously as a Royal Knight should and you tend to get worked up easily."

"...And Dukemon doesn't do those things?" OuRyuumon asked sarcastically, giving him a flat stare.

Alphamon couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "I guess, but not to your degree..."

"It just doesn't seem fair, Alphamon. I'm older than a lot of the knights here! Doesn't that give me maturity points?" he asked.

"Age doesn't mean maturity," Alphamon replied.

OuRyuumon grunted. "Besides, I thought you liked how I wasn't too serious all the time," he said with a very faint grin.

Alphamon smiled. "There's the Alphamon who's your closest friend and the Alphamon who's the leader of the Royal Knights. For these decisions, I have to be the latter."

The tall, gold dragon digimon sighed reluctantly. "...Fine, well... whatever," he muttered, glancing away. "As long as you consider me in the future."

Gripping OuRyuumon's shoulder a bit tighter, Alphamon smiled. "Good..."

"I don't have to like Examon though... And I'm still mad at you, you know," OuRyuumon explained with a small grin.

"You are?" Alphamon asked raising an eyebrow.

"Very," he replied with a smirk. "No sex tonight, by the way."

Alphamon frowned and looked at his significant other. "Now that doesn't seem fair."

"Well, Alphamon, now you know how I feel," OuRyuumon replied, his grin growing wider.

Alphamon couldn't help but grin a bit as well. He put his other hand on OuRyuumon's face and caressed it lightly. "Are you sure I can't make you change your mind...?" he asked, slowly leaning up towards the dragon.

OuRyuumon smiled and started to lean down as well. "Weeeeelllll..."

"Alphamon!" a voice called out from down the hall.

Alphamon tensed up and recoiled away from OuRyuumon, blushing behind his helmet and instantly pulling his hands away. OuRyuumon pulled back as well, blushing hard and turning towards the voice.

They looked down the hall and saw a brown knight with blonde hair striding towards them with purpose in his step.

"D-Duftmon," Alphamon stammered, trying to regain his composure.

Duftmon walked up to them and looked between the two. "I need to speak with you. Are you busy?" he asked, looking at Alphamon.

"No... We were just talking..." Alphamon said, looking at OuRyuumon sheepishly.

"I see," Duftmon said. "In that case, you're doing nothing important enough that you can't be pulled away from it for a few minutes."

OuRyuumon rolled his eyes, and Alphamon rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, I'm not sure I would put it like that... but we can talk, I suppose."

"Fine. Well..." the leopard knight said, but trailed off when he saw OuRyuumon still standing there listening in. "Do you mind?"

"Kinda, kitty cat," OuRyuumon responded, folding his arms after a tense pause. He was rather annoyed at Duftmon for interrupting his and Alphamon's intimate moment.

"OuRyuumon," Alphamon said, trying to keep the two from getting into another argument.

Rolling his eyes again, OuRyuumon sighed. "Fine, I'll be in my room if you need me and want to apologize some more," he said, flying down the hallway.

Duftmon scoffed and turned back to Alphamon. "So, Alphamon, about your newest-"

"If this is about Examon, no, my decision is final," Alphamon said, his voice expressing that finality.

"What?! But Alphamon!" Duftmon protested. "He is not even like us! And I do not have a good feeling about him."

"You're going to have to deal with it, Duftmon," he answered. "Not every digimon you work with is going to be the way you want them to be. In fact, you were the one who said that we needed a knight with long range supremacy."

Duftmon frowned deeply. "Yes, but-" he stopped, staring incredulously at Alphamon. "Oogh!" he growled, balling up his fists and turning around in a huff. He looked over his shoulder, refusing to admit defeat. "You'll see, Alphamon. He is going to cause problems for us."

With that, Duftmon stormed off down the hall, leaving Alphamon sighing and shaking his head.

Alphamon walked down the hall as well, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. "'Give them time' Omegamon says..." he muttered to himself. "If I don't go insane by then, that is..."

* * *

><p>Duftmon galumphed up the stairs to the second floor, fuming over Alphamon. He didn't know how Alphamon could make such a foolish decision, at least to him.<p>

"Sleipmon may be bearable, but how could he think this Examon digimon is a good idea?" Duftmon muttered to himself as he strode into the leisure room, hoping to distract himself by getting back to where he had left off in his book.

He stepped into the room and saw UlforceVeedramon, Magnamon, and Craniamon occupying the room – the first two playing a game of pool, while the latter watched. Duftmon's eye twitched with plain irritation now that he had to deal with more people instead of being able to read in peace and quiet.

"Terrific..." he mumbled, his eyes narrowing further with annoyance.

Aside from a pool table, the room also held three couches, a shelf with various things on it, a ping pong table, a chess table, darts, a digimon fooseball table, among other things.

Duftmon had walked in just as Magnamon was taking a shot with the pool stick, distracting the shorter knight. Magnamon let out a frustrated shout as he scratched the pool table with the stick and caused the white cue ball to bounce over the side of the table and onto the floor.

"Darn it!" He pouted, pulling back and accidentally elbowing another of the balls into a socket in the process. He blushed, and then ran to the other side of the table to get the ball.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled and picked up the ball that Magnamon had accidentally elbowed. "That's too bad, Magna. On the other hand, it was only a matter of time before your balls dropped, right?" he teased, winking.

Magnamon chuckled a little and picked up the white ball. "Very funny, Ulforce," he said, tossing him the white ball for his turn.

Duftmon merely shook his head with disdain at what he viewed was a tasteless, uncouth joke. He walked past the ping pong table over to a couch where a book was lying on one of the cushions. He took the book, sat down, put his feet up on the cushions and opened the book to where he left off.

Craniamon took off his purple bracers and folded his arms, looking over at Duftmon curiously. "I'm surprised to see you here after earlier. I would have thought that you would be hiding away in the library or your room about now," he pointed out, grinning slightly.

"Hmph," Duftmon grunted. "I'm trying not to let my day be ruined by a poor executive decision, if you don't mind."

"You're not going to whine about Examon for a week like you did with Sleipmon, are you, Duftmon?" UlforceVeedramon asked, grinning as he took a shot and sunk a ball into a pocket.

Craniamon looked over at UlforceVeedramon. "I was under the impression that you didn't care for Examon either."

UlforceVeedramon smiled. "Well, yeah. But that's because, unlike Sleipmon, he's on a high horse... which is kind of ironic when you think about it," he joked, chuckling a bit. "I mean, 'The Dragon Emperor', really? It's about arrogance, not his species, unlike two digimon here I know." The tall, cobalt knight glanced at Duftmon and Craniamon with a small smile. He then looked at Magnamon. "Your move, buddy,"

Magnamon nodded and took aim. "His appearance shouldn't matter. Alphamon chose him because he would be a good knight. Isn't that enough?" he asked.

"Maybe for you two," Duftmon said, reading his book as he talked. "But we Royal Knights have an identity to uphold in the Digital World. It's almost as bad as having the walking time bomb among our ranks."

"And who is this 'walking time bomb'?" a voice said from the door.

The four turned and saw Dukemon storming into the room, glaring at them with narrow, golden eyes. Magnamon gasped, UlforceVeedramon's and Craniamon's eyes widened, and Duftmon merely looked back at his book.

"D-Dukemon!" UlforceVeedramon greeted, suddenly blushing and smiling sheepishly, trying to cover up his nervousness. "Uh, hey. We were just playing pool here."

"And slagging Examon off behind his back," Dukemon growled, glaring at UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon and Duftmon.

"We were just talking, Dukemon," Magnamon said, trying to mediate the situation the best that he could. "Some have objections, and some don't..."

Dukemon sneered at Duftmon and Craniamon. "It's this close-minded thinking that will give us a bad name! All you guys see is a dragon digimon, but you haven't even attempted to spend any time with Examon! Same goes for you, Ulforce. If you spent more than five minutes with Examon, you'd see that he's not the arrogant egomaniac you're making him out to be."

Magnamon frowned. "Dukemon, I agree with you, but getting mad isn't going to help."

Duftmon looked over at Dukemon with a cold stare. "And you're such an expert on this Examon digimon _how_ exactly?"

"I actually spent the better part of the day walking and talking with him instead of judging him on what I thought I knew about him," Dukemon spat, returning the glare.

"Uh, sorry, Dukemon," UlforceVeedramon said, rubbing the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly.

Dukemon nodded at UlforceVeedramon and turned to Craniamon. Craniamon folded his arms and looked away. "I'll reserve my judgements for now, but he has yet to prove himself to me," he responded, a bit of antagonism in his voice.

"Fine," Dukemon said, then turning to Duftmon.

Duftmon stood up with his book and walked towards Dukemon. "It's become noisy in here. I think I will take my reading somewhere less unpleasant," he said, completely ignoring Dukemon as he brushed by him to go into the hallway.

Dukemon growled and started to turn around but UlforceVeedramon placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Forget him, Dukemon. You know how he gets," he said with a smile. He then raised the pool stick. "You can play Craniamon next, and the winner will face the winner of this match, which will be me."

Magnamon nodded. "Yeah. Wait! Hey! Ulforce!" he complained.

UlforceVeedramon laughed and even Craniamon chuckled a bit. Dukemon managed a grin, but it faltered after a few seconds when he rubbed his chest with his hand.

"Say, where is Ex-sama anyways, Dukemon?" the taller, blue dragon knight asked, apparently insistent on keeping the nickname he made for Examon despite saying he'd try to get to know him.

"He's his room getting settled in. I told him to rest up for tomorrow," Dukemon answered, smiling a little.

Craniamon smirked competitively. "You mean for the proving duel?" he asked, a hint of excitement caressing his voice.

Dukemon nodded. "He'll be fighting one of us."

UlforceVeedramon smiled. "I can't wait to watch that. Let's see if that title was earned."

"I wouldn't mind testing his strength either," Magnamon agreed.

The crimson knight folded his arms and grinned. "Yeah. I guess we'll see which of us will end up fighting him tomorrow..."

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

Dynasmon yawned and stretched his arms and wings tiredly. He walked down a corridor of the headquarters, heading towards the training ground behind the castle.

"Still not a morning digimon, I see?" a voice said from behind him.

The dragon man groggily looked over his shoulder to see RhodoKnightmon, along with Omegamon, following him. "Rm. Not really... I don't know why these practice fights for the newcomers always have to be at the break of dawn."

"It makes for a pleasant start to the day, I find," the pink knight replied, smiling.

"I can think of better ways to start the day..." Dynasmon muttered. "Don't we at least get breakfast first?"

"It's better to wait until afterwards to eat," Omegamon explained as they walked. "Whoever's fighting will have worked up an appetite."

"Who _is_ going to be fighting Examon, anyways?" Dynasmon asked. "Either of you?"

"Not me," Omegamon answered. "I'd rather see what he can do from the sidelines."

"Not I, either," RhodoKnightmon said, raising his hands to emphasize his shrug. "Unless it's an operation or mission, I would rather not fight needlessly and require a bath afterwards. However, if Examon and I were – ahem – clashing in the bedroom, well, that would be a different story," he added with a chuckle.

Dynasmon sighed and shook his head. "I would rather he was a woman..."

"Uh... Anyways..." Omegamon said, clearing his throat, looking a bit uncomfortable at the topic of discussion. "What about you, Dynasmon? Are you going to test your mettle against him?"

"Some other time, Omegamon," Dynasmon replied tiredly, scratching the corners of his eyes with his claws. "Too early in the day..."

"Would you be saying that if our headquarters was attacked right now?" Omegamon asked.

"No, he'd probably demanding that the assailants make him an omelette," RhodoKnightmon said, grinning at Dynasmon.

Dynasmon grumbled and opened the door at the end of the hallway, walking outside. The trio walked into the morning sunlight. A beautiful, pink sunrise painted the sky and caused the dewy grass of the wide, open training ground to shimmer. The training ground was very spacious and covered with grass, giving plenty of room for the knights to move around and practice with the full extent of their attacks without having to worry too much about damaging the headquarters. There were several archery targets, digimon-shaped practice dummies, and other weapons-training equipment too, some simple and some high tech.

They walked over the grass towards the center of the training grounds. Waiting there were the other eight Royal Knights plus OuRyuumon.

"My guess is that Craniamon will fight him," RhodoKnightmon said to the two as they walked towards the group. "He's so competitive. He would never turn down a one on one duel like this."

"I'm sure he'll at least want to," Omegamon concurred, walking forwards and nodding at Alphamon and the others as they grew near.

"Good. Everyone's here," Alphamon said, looking around at them. His eyes rested on the newly joined Royal Knight. "You're probably wondering what we're doing, Examon."

Examon nodded. "Dukemon gave me a vague idea, but…"

"Okay. In that case, I'll explain," Alphamon said. "All of the Royal Knights are very skilled. New knights are often slightly behind us, so we have a practice battle to see how the newcomer can improve on their combat technique. You'll be fighting one of us. Whoever downs the other knight is the winner."

Sleipmon nodded, smiling at Examon. "Don't worry if you don't win. I had my ass handed to me by Craniamon when I first joined, but I'm much better now thanks to their advice and plenty of training."

Examon nodded silently. He thought about it for a few moments before turning back to Alphamon. "How does this work? Do we use our weapons or attacks?"

Alphamon smiled a bit. "Our resident technician worked through the night installing a data program for your weapon. It's completely removable."

The crimson dragon raised an eyebrow. "Data program?"

"He installed data into your Ambrosius which makes all of your attacks only release an electric shock upon contact instead of their regular destructive effects. The program also dulls your weapons' sharp edges and also gives them the shock feature. So yes, you'll be allowed to use your attacks and weapons along with your bare hands."

Dukemon grinned and put his hand on Examon's shoulder. "Expect to feel very sore afterwards, Examon," he told him, winking at him playfully. "Especially since your opponent is going to be me."

Examon blinked with surprise.

"What?!" Craniamon protested, stepping forwards. "I was planning to fight him, Dukemon!"

"You snooze, you lose, Craniamon," he told the purple knight, grinning.

"That seems like flimsy logic for why you get to fight him," Craniamon replied, folding his arms and glancing at Dukemon out of the corners of his eyes.

"Okay, can _you_ think of a reason why you should fight him over me, aside from the fact that you want to?" Dukemon asked, smiling knowingly.

Craniamon grumbled, knowing that Dukemon had him there. "Err…"

"Then it's settled. Besides, you would just get worked up if he ended up getting a hit on you. I remember you forced yourself to train all through the day and night when Sleipmon managed to break your guard during his practice fight with you," Dukemon pointed out.

Alphamon nodded. "Dukemon will be Examon's opponent. It seems only natural. He was the one who first met Examon."

UlforceVeedramon smiled. "It's one red dragon knight with a lance against another," he pointed out amusedly.

Dukemon chuckled a little. "Guess so. Now can you guys give us some space so we can start?" he asked, taking his Gram lance and his Aegis shield from his back and holding them.

Sleipmon nodded. "Let's go watch from the sidelines," he said cantering over to the side of the training grounds, giving Examon and Dukemon plenty of space. The others followed him.

Examon also removed the Ambrosius from his back and held it in his claws, inspecting. "Electric charges, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah. Trust me, they still hurt. I've seen them bring even Alphamon to his knees," Dukemon assured him. The knight turned around and started walking away from Examon, his cape flowing behind him.

"You're still not going to take off your cape?" Examon asked with a light grin.

Dukemon looked over his shoulder and winked. "I'm surprised you would even ask!" he laughed, walking until there was a large distance between the two. Dukemon turned around, raising the Aegis shield in his left and poising the Gram lance in his right.

Examon smirked and stretched his Caledfwlch wings – or rather, the sentient wings stretched themselves in response to Examon's brainwaves – and he gripped his Ambrosius lance readily. "I'm not going to go easy on you because we're friends, Dukemon," he told him.

Dukemon smirked and studied his opponent carefully, noticing the slight movement of the dragon's wings. "Good, because I wasn't going to hold back on you either. I'm going to give it to you, newbie."

"We'll see…" Examon replied calmly. Even if he was up against a seasoned Royal Knight, he wasn't about to lose perspective because of it or the nervousness that might accompany it. He simply saw this as just another battle, Royal Knight or not, and friend or not. He wasn't about to let any emotional attachment get in his way or cloud his judgement. He would hold nothing back.

From the sidelines, Omegamon looked over at Alphamon. "Does Examon have a chance to win?" he asked.

"…I'll give him a ten percent chance of winning," Alphamon replied, glancing at the white knight. "If Dukemon is generous and doesn't call upon Grani."

"And if he does?" asked Omegamon.

"Then it's not a matter of if he will lose, but how long it will take," Duftmon added, folding his arms and watching the two dragon knights studiously.

Alphamon nodded with agreement. "…Begin!" he suddenly called out to the two.

At the voice, Dukemon started charging forwards nimbly, shockingly nimble given the heavy armour, shield and lance he carried. Examon's wings twitched and suddenly started flapping powerfully, carrying him into the air to give him a height advantage. He knew that Dukemon couldn't fly on his own, so he could just fire his attacks down on Dukemon and would only have to worry about dodging Dukemon's ranged attacks.

Dukemon's eyes narrowed when he saw Examon ascend. "You think I'll let you?!" he shouted, forcing his left arm forwards so that his arm slipped out of the Aegis' belt buckles. Before it could fall to the ground, Dukemon grabbed the rim of the shield and started winding his arm back. As he sprinted, Dukemon grunted and threw the Aegis hard into the air like a giant metal discus.

The shield cut through the air to the place where Examon was about to rise to. Examon was momentarily stunned at such an aggressive attack, and knew that he had to right himself, but even the sentient Caledfwlch couldn't react quickly enough to avoid the fast and skillful throw; He tried to move his chrome digizoid-plated wings to shield himself, but wasn't able to.

The metal rim of the spinning shield slammed into Examon's collar, ripping a low, gargled growl from his throat. The Aegis's impact alone was painful enough, but then he felt electricity surge from the shield and course through his body. He wasn't expecting the shock. The dragon was thrown backwards through the air, too stunned from the impact and the added electricity to catch himself. Clothes-lined from the attack, he plummeted to the ground and landed hard on the grass with a grunt.

Dukemon smirked and continued charging the downed dragon. Examon grunted and raised his head, refusing to be defeated yet. "_Without his shield, he can't defend,_" Examon noted in his mind. He narrowed his green eyes and aimed the Ambrosius lance. "Avalon's Gate!"

He fired six shells in a row from the lance, spreading the shots out in a fanning motion, both upwards and to the sides, so there would be no way that Dukemon would be able to dodge them without getting hit by at least one.

Dukemon saw all the shells flying towards him. They both knew would give him a strong electrical surge instead of their usual effects, and he also knew that he couldn't avoid all of them. His golden eyes twinkled behind his helmet.

Since he was sure that Dukemon getting shocked would stifle the knight's attack, Examon took the opportunity to stand to his feet. While doing so, he watched the shells soar towards his opponent. His eyes slowly widened with shock when he saw Dukemon reach over his shoulder and unbuckle his red cape in the face of the oncoming munitions.

Confidently, Dukemon swung his left arm out in front of him, the cape flapping in the breeze and wrapping all seven of the shells in its folds as it was pulled off to the side.

Examon nearly allowed his jaw to drop, watching as the cape bundled and diverted the shells he fired. "_Amazing. He actually used his cape as a shield_," he thought, staring ahead of him, unable to see Dukemon behind the fluttering red fabric.

"Lightning Joust!" Dukemon's voice called out from behind the cape. The cape flew to the side to reveal Dukemon aiming his lance at Examon. It sparked with electricity, which was then sent surging towards Examon at a weakened strength.

Gritting his teeth, Examon quickly cloaked his armoured wings in front of him. He grunted in pain upon feeling the lightning go through his wings, but it was better than being hit in the body again. He opened the Caledfwlch up when the attack ended, so that he could counterattack, but saw Dukemon sprinting over the grass, closing in by the millisecond.

Not having time to aim since Dukemon got so close in so short a time, Examon aimed from the hip and squeezed the trigger of the Ambrosius, just as Dukemon got into point blank range.

The lance fired, the tip brimming with red light. "Pendragon's G-Grwah!"

The laser fired strongly, grazing Dukemon's side and sending electricity coursing through the crimson knight, but he fought through the pain and pushed the Ambrosius aside, running up to Examon and driving his gauntlet-covered fist into the end of Examon's horned snout.

The force sent Examon flying in reverse and he landed on his back, blood trickling from his nostrils down his snout and into his mouth. He narrowed his watering eyes at Dukemon, who slowly approached while wincing and aiming his lance at Examon. "You haven't won yet," he growled at the veteran Royal Knight.

Examon suddenly whipped his lengthy tail out and wrapped it around Dukemon's ankles before pulling back strongly. "Wh-Hey!" Dukemon shouted, losing his balance and falling on his backside.

Grinning slightly, Examon raised his lance at Dukemon again, who was far enough to be in range now that he punched Examon back. "Pendragon's Glory," he spoke, his voice still composed despite the odds. Another beam ripped from the lance and hit the middle of the curious looking symbol at the center of Dukemon's chest armour. Dukemon snarled loudly with pain as the shock tore through his system and there were some surprised and concerned whispers among the Royal Knights.

As Dukemon writhed, Examon slowly stood to his feet. The white and red humanoid knight wouldn't be taken lightly, though. Through the pain and numbing discomfort, Dukemon pressed the dulled end of the Gram against Examon's tail, which was still coiled around his ankles, and he sent electricity coursing up its length to Examon's body. "Light…ning Joust!"

The dragon snarled and grimaced. He was forced to release his tail from Dukemon, but he refused to be taken down to his knees by the pain. Dukemon stood up and ran at him, closing the gap so that Examon couldn't use his ranged attacks.

"_Not this time,_" Examon thought. He turned his body and swung one of his armoured Caledfwlch wings, bashing Dukemon to the side.

Dukemon grunted and went into a somersault, coming back up on one knee. He saw his Aegis lying in the grass not too far away. Then he noticed Examon raise his lance at him again, prompting him to dive for the shield.

"Pendragon's Glory!" Examon called out, firing another powerful beam from the lance.

Dukemon landed beside the Aegis, grabbing it before he even hit the ground and raised it up in front of him. The laser reflected off the durable shield, putting immense pressure of Dukemon's arm, but it rebounded harmlessly into the air. When the attack was over, Dukemon grinned and aimed the face of the shield towards Examon. The triangles around the center of the shield began to light up one after the other.

"Final Elysian!" he shouted, the shield lighting up with glowing white power.

Examon's eyes widened. "What the…?" A strong beam surged from the shield and Examon barely had time to brace himself as his body was consumed in the blast. He felt electricity shocking him all over.

When the blinding blast of light was over, Dukemon ran up to him, kicked one of his wings to the side and slammed his shield across Examon's face, sending him flying onto the ground. Examon groaned and then saw Dukemon jump high into the air. The knight landed on top of him, with the knight's boots on the wings that extended from Examon's arms, so the dragon's arms were pinned.

Dukemon drew the Gram back and grinned at Examon.

"I win."

He rammed the tip of his lance into Examon's chest, sending a blast of electricity through the dragon knight's form again. Examon growled in pain and, once the shocking stopped, laid his head back into the ground with reluctant defeat and exhaustion.

"Dukemon is the winner!" Alphamon's voice called out.

Dukemon grinned and placed the Gram lance and Aegis shield onto his back. Chuckles and claps came from the other Royal Knights as they walked over to the two digimon. Several of the Knightmon who were training and on guard duty had decided to watch the action too.

"You bet on Examon. You owe me fifty digidollars, Magna," OuRyuumon said, grinning at him.

Magnamon smiled. "It's okay. Just take Ulforce's," he said. "He bet me that Examon wouldn't get a hit in on Dukemon."

UlforceVeedramon frowned. "Damn… Oh well. Better luck next time, I guess," he said with a chuckle.

Examon panted with exhaustion. Blood trickled down from his nose and the corner of his mouth and it started to cake his scales as it dried.

Dukemon stepped off his wings and kneeled down, grinning. "Hey, you actually did better than I thought you would, Examon," he explained reassuringly.

The dragon grunted and propped himself up on his wings slightly. "You're… really strong…" he said, breathing heavily.

"We all are pretty strong," Alphamon explained. "You just need to train and practice with us. It won't be long until you're on the same level as us too."

Dukemon grinned, nodded and stood up, outstretching his hand to Examon. "Welcome to the team, Examon."

Despite his bloodied face, Examon grinned faintly and took Dukemon's hand, getting pulled to his feet by the knight when he did.

"Thank you…" he said, looking at them. "I won't let you down."


	5. Chapter 4: A Conflict of Interest

**Chapter 4: A Conflict of Interest**

The dark night was illuminated by only two moons: a full moon and a half moon, both resting in the starry sky above. Beneath them were two digimon, one bipedal and the other quadrupedal. They walked over the grasslands of the United Dramonic Coalition under the cover of darkness.

"How far is it?" the taller of the two asked. He looked down at his companion, BlackMetalGarurumon.

"Justa sec, bro..." BlackMetalGarurumon replied, glancing at Anubismon. He narrowed his eyes carefully and studied the dark grassy plains in front of him. In his vision, coordinates of distance and topography raced through his mind as he scanned the landscape. "Wait a second! Wait a second! My sensors are detecting a heat source thirty meters ahead of us. It's a digimon!"

Anubismon's ear twitched. "Just relax and let me do the talking," he calmly told his brother.

"Soooo... no blowing him up?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked, looking over with a grin.

Anubismon narrowed his eyes at his brother. "No," he responded. "Remember when I explained to you what stealth was?"

"Yeah, yeah. Jeez. You're no fun at all, Anubismon," the black cyborg wolf said, chuckling a little.

"We're going to do this right, brother," Anubismon said sternly. "I want more than the tiny castle and measly village around it that I inherited from Father."

"Uh huh. I gotcha. But why the UDC and not one of the other towns in the Free Area?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked. "You remember what I said about Dramon being smelly, right?"

"Two reasons," Anubismon explained, brushing a paw through his long, black hair. "One, the Free Area is under heavier scrutiny from the Royal Knights."

"Oh, because the Royal Knights let everyone in the Free Area be free without countries or kings, and the Royal Knights defend everybody's freedom and safety in the area in exchange for everybody abiding by their laws?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked.

Anubismon nodded. "That's why we've had to act in secret."

"But the Royal Knights help digimon all over the continent. They don't just focus on the Free Area."

"Yes, but the Free Area is their own backyard. There's a greater chance they'll notice action there than in the United Dramonic Coalition," Anubismon explained, watching as the digimon ahead of them grew nearer. "Anyways, the second reason is simple. When we control the UDC, we will control the trade of blue diamante and green malachite. These are two very precious gems that are found in the Dragon Mountains inside the UDC's territory. We'll be rich, brother."

"Oooh. Rich is good. Really good," the BlackMetalGarurumon nodded, smiling. "And famous too. Hey, Anubismon. Once we're famous, won't digimon get you confused with the Anubismon from the Warrior Ten?"

"They can just call him AncientSphinxmon, even if he isn't in that form all the time."

BlackMetaGarurumon grinned. "Speaking of famous... What about the Royal Knights? They'll find out eventually, won't they?"

"Hopefully later rather than sooner. If we can avoid them finding out for a few weeks, we should be fine."

"Why?"

"Because once we take control of the mining and selling of those two dragon crystals, we'll be rich enough to be able to hire all sorts of strong digimon to fight the Royal Knights," Anubismon said, starting to grin. "We may even be able to hire powerful enough digimon to capture the Royal Knights. Then we would be able to take over their headquarters and the entire Free Area that they protect. ...However, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves."

"Speaking of ahead of ourselves," BlackMetalGarurumon said, looking forward and seeing the green variation of a Coredramon walking towards them.

The green dragon walked towards them, glancing at the two curiously. He wondered why there were two canine digimon in a predominantly dragon-based territory.

"Hello there, friend," Anubismon said, smiling a little.

"Uh, salutations," the Coredramon answered, stopping in front of them and arching his eyebrow.

"It is a nice night out, isn't it?" he continued, looking at the dragon digimon.

"I guess. You two aren't from around here, are you?"

Anubismon shook his head. "My brother and I were on our way to visit my good friend in Wyvern City, but we're a bit lost. Can you tell us which direction it is?"

"Hmm..." the Coredramon hummed to himself, turning around to survey the land and get his bearings. "Well, I'm not exactly sure where it is from right here, but the nearest village is that way." The green drake raised his arm and pointed behind him with one of his claws. "The digimon there should be able to give you some better directions."

"Thank you," Anubismon replied. He smiled and nodded at him. "Well, we won't keep you."

"Goodnight," the Coredramon answered, walking past them.

After a few moments, BlackMetalGarurumon looked at his brother and made a disgusted face. "And you want to rule a place where more digimon smell like him?"

Anubismon rolled his eyes and started walking in the direction the dragon described. "Don't be so dramatic. At least he doesn't smell like gunpowder..."

BlackMetalGarurumon frowned and started trotting after him. "Who do you know who smells like gunpowder...?"

The winged jackal digimon glanced over his shoulder at his brother and gave him a bland look. "...Anyways, do you know the plan?"

"Blast 'em to bits, right?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked with a smirk.

"Don't delete anybody unless you absolutely have to, brother," Anubismon ordered. "I want this takeover to be as peaceful as possible. For our sakes. Just neutralizing any resistance should be more than enough."

"Understood, bro."

"Good. The less digimon who hate us, the easier my plans will be," Anubismon said, grinning slightly and walking forwards. "And so begins the first step towards our golden age."

* * *

><p>"Is this really necessary?"<p>

Examon lay on one of several beds in a wide, clean room which had plenty of light from the nearby window. The room even smelled clean. He wasn't too surprised since it was the medical bay and it needed to be sterilised from germs and viruses.

He suppressed a grunt of pain when he placed ice wrapped in a cloth (the ice supplied by Sleipmon) to his numb, throbbing snout. If it had been anybody other than a Royal Knight who did it, he would have been ashamed at how easily he had been defeated. Examon now knew of the calibre of fighters he was fighting alongside. If nothing else, it motivated him.

There were four others in the room as well. Waiting at the foot of the bed were Dukemon, Sleipmon, and Magnamon. Beside him was a doctor, a blonde-haired humanoid digimon in black and red armour, who was examining him professionally, checking for injuries and wounds. The most striking feature about this digimon was, in addition to the standard two on his face, the seven eyes in his armour: two on his shoulders, two on his knees, two on the toes of his boots, and one big one on the center of his chest. Examon tried not to appear uncomfortable when all nine eyes turned to look at him.

"Afraid so, Examon," Dukemon said, folding his arms. "Alphamon says that we need to have a mandatory check up with Duskmon after every mission and training session."

"And you're notorious for skipping your check ups," the Duskmon doctor said to the knight who Examon fought. Dukemon grinned and rolled his eyes.

"It's better to be safe than sorry anyways," Sleipmon said.

"And untreated injuries may hinder you in future battles," Magnamon added, smiling a bit.

Examon nodded slightly. "I guess that's a practical way of looking at it..." he submitted.

"Keep the pressure on your snout, Examon," Duskmon told him, ushering him to press the ice harder to staunch the blood flow.

Examon did so and tilted his head back. As he did, he glanced at the three Royal Knights. Dukemon, Magnamon and Sleipmon seemed to be becoming his friends. They were all quite friendly and kind towards him, and they didn't hold his species or personality against him. It reassured Examon a little bit. Perhaps he would be able to win over the others as well. Alphamon supported him as well, and Omegamon, Dynasmon and RhodoKnightmon all seemed at least neutral towards him joining. He wasn't quite sure yet, as he hadn't the chance to talk to them much. Only Duftmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon seemed opposed to him, as far as he could tell.

"Okay," Duskmon finally said, backing up. "You should be fine, Examon. There's no internal bleeding, fractures, or data disruption. You'll just have a few bruises and maybe a black eye from that blow to your snout."

Dukemon grinned a bit. "No hard feelings, right, Examon?"

Examon managed a small smirk and stood up. "Right... That was the best fight I have had in awhile."

"Maybe you and I can spar next time, Examon," Magnamon said with a friendly smile.

"Let the guy recover first, Magna," Sleipmon chuckled, beginning to turn around.

Examon turned to Duskmon. "Thank you, uh...?"

"Duskmon," he replied with a nod. "I'm the Royal Knights' official physician, so if there's anything wrong, come to me."

Examon nodded and began following Dukemon, Magnamon and Sleipmon out of the medical bay and into the hallway. He found that this headquarters of theirs really did have everything that one would need. He could get used to staying here...

"So," Sleipmon spoke up, looking over his shoulder and smiling at Examon. "How about that tour of the headquarters?"

"Sure," Examon replied. He grinned. "It sounds as if you have everything in this castle except for a swimming pool."

"Oh, we have that too," Dukemon replied lightheartedly, closing his eyes and smiling. "Alphamon wanted one installed so we can practice swimming and underwater movement after that incident where a certain adorable, blue dragon almost drowned," he teased, opening one eye to look at Magnamon.

Magnamon blushed and crossed his arms, looking away indignantly. "Hmph... We weren't near water where I grew up; I never needed to know how to swim." He then cast a slight glare at Dukemon. "And I told you before: I'm not cute! I'm a Royal Knight!"

"I didn't say 'cute'. I said 'adorable'," Dukemon replied with a laugh, patting Magnamon on the head.

Magnamon growled and blushed harder. He was very glad he was wearing his gold-digizoid mask so they wouldn't be able to see his flushed face. "You weren't saying that when I beat you in our sparring match last week. And then in the rematch, too, if I remember correctly..." he replied, starting to smile smugly.

The smirk behind Dukemon's visor disappeared. "Yeah, well... You can be both cute _and_ strong, Magna."

Sleipmon chuckled a bit as the two bickered. "Well, AncientMermaimon of the Warrior Ten _did_ say she wanted to cuddle you like a teddy bear, Magnamon, so I guess it must be true. You should take it as a compliment."

Magnamon blushed and looked away with a slightly pouty expression. "Calling me cute undermines me as a Royal Knight. People won't take me seriously! This is all because I'm shorter than the average Mega, isn't it?"

Dukemon reached over and pinched one of Magnamon's cheeks teasingly. "Don't forget your adorable face!"

"Dukemon! Cut it out!" he complained, swatting Dukemon's hand away.

"People not taking you seriously may not technically be a bad thing," Examon pointed out. "It means your enemies will underestimate you. Being underestimated is a big advantage in combat."

Magnamon and Dukemon blinked and looked at Examon. "Well, I guess you have a point, Examon," Magnamon conceded, "but I'd rather keep my dignity, thanks..."

Sleipmon smiled. "Anyways. Dukemon, did you want to be the tour guide?" he asked.

"Okay," Dukemon agreed with a nod. He led the other three down the hallway until they reached a corner where the corridor turned into a ninety degree right turn. At the end of that hall, on the corner, was a doorway heading into a dark room illuminated by what felt like an unnatural light. Examon followed them as they reached the door. Inside, he could see Alphamon, Omegamon, and a digimon he didn't recognize all standing in front of a giant screen that mounted on the stone wall.

The digimon was seemed to be a skinny, humanoid bug digimon. The insect's exoskeleton seemed to be made of something like gold metal, from the way the light from the screen reflected off of it. His body also had light blue gems adorning it. The bug digimon sat in front of the screen, typing away dexterously at the keyboard.

Alphamon and Omegamon both looked over at them when they noticed their presence at the door. "Dukemon?" Omegamon asked. "Were you all looking for one of us?"

Dukemon shook his head. "We were just showing Examon around the castle. What are you two doing?"

"We're trying to get in contact with the Warrior Ten. We're supposed to have a meeting with them," Alphamon explained.

Examon raised an eyebrow. "A meeting?" he asked, looking around for signs of other digimon.

"This is the communications room, Examon," Dukemon explained, walking in. "This is where we communicate with our allies and the like."

"I see..." Examon replied, assuming that it had something to do with that giant computer.

Dukemon walked over to the sitting insect digimon and placed a hand on his shoulder. "And this is MetallifeKuwagamon. He's our resident computer technician and is in charge of all of our computer-related stuff. He was also the one who created the training add-on for our weapons."

"Nice to meet you," MetallifeKuwagamon said, looking over at Examon.

"You too," Examon answered. "I heard it took you the night to install that program on my Ambrosius. I hope it doesn't take that long to remove it."

MetallifeKuwagamon shook his head as he continued typing. "No, no. Once it's installed, I can remove the chip in a matter of seconds. It would be too impractical otherwise."

Examon nodded. After a moment, he frowned and looked at Alphamon. "The Warrior Ten...?" he asked.

"You haven't heard of them?" Alphamon asked.

"Embarrassingly, no," Examon admitted. "Until recently, I've only had to be concerned with the affairs of the United Dramonic Coalition."

Alphamon nodded in understanding. "The Warrior Ten are one of our allies. They operate more towards the center of this continent while we Royal Knights operate more towards the south. However, it's not uncommon for us or them to act outside of our general areas. We often share information and sometimes even physically help each other out, if necessary," the Lord of the Empty Seat explained.

Omegamon nodded in agreement. "They embody the ten elemental Spirits. Flame, Light, Steel, Earth, Wood, Thunder, Ice, Water, Wind, and Darkness. They're good warriors... if not a bit eccentric. And they alone possess the Ancient forms, though many of them choose to stay in their primary forms for the sake of convenience, given the size of some of the Ancient forms."

"I see..." Examon responded, slightly confused, but nonetheless curious.

"Alphamon, I'm opening the live video feed," MetallifeKuwagamon suddenly explained, clicking a button that said 'Spyke'.

The gigantic screen suddenly flickered and a giant face wearing an orange, draconic helmet and a pair of blue goggles on his forehead appeared and took up the entire screen. "Shurimon! Did you get this bloody thing working yet?" he asked, looking to the left, off-screen.

"I-I think so, KaiserGreymon," a timid voice responded.

The dragon digimon known as KaiserGreymon frowned and looked back. He blinked. "Oh, I see them! Good job, mate," he said to the digimon. "Hullo, Alphamon. Omegamon."

"...Hello, KaiserGreymon," Alphamon said in an almost exasperated tone, looking at the bipedal dragon man who was clad in red and gold plate armour.

A white, furry hand then appeared on the dragon man's shoulder and pulled him back, away from the screen to reveal a white, armoured, bipedal wolf digimon standing beside him. He gave KaiserGreymon a flat look before looking back at the screen.

"I know how to use a computer, AncientGarurumon," he said defensively.

"...This is the first time we have been able to use the computer since you spilled tea all over it and Shurimon had to repair it," AncientGarurumon replied, folding his arms.

KaiserGreymon frowned. "Well, maybe—"

Alphamon cleared his throat, getting their attention. "...Anyways, I'm glad to see that we're in contact once again," he said.

KaiserGreymon rubbed the back of his neck. "Err, yeah. Right. How's everything with the Royal Knights?" he asked.

"...Lively," Alphamon said dryly. "We have a new member among us. The eleventh Royal Knight."

"Hah!" KaiserGreymon laughed, folding his muscular, black-scaled arms across his chest. "It looks like you outnumber us now, eh? Come on, then, Alphamon, let's see this new member of yours."

Alphamon turned and raised an eyebrow at Examon. Examon noticed his look and nodded, walking over beside Alphamon and Omegamon, so that he was in view of the two members of the Warrior Ten. When he was in view, he nodded politely. "My name is Examon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

KaiserGreymon grinned. "Well, I wasn't expecting a full on dragon as a Royal Knight! Good choice, Alphamon," he said. "Anyways, I'm KaiserGreymon, the leader, I guess, of the Warrior Ten." AncientGarurumon rolled his eyes at this, but KaiserGreymon continued, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And this here is-"

"AncientGarurumon," the wolf digimon said briefly, shrugging off KaiserGreymon's hand.

Examon nodded. "I see." He turned back to Dukemon, Magnamon, and Sleipmon. "I won't keep you, Alphamon," he said, walking over to the trio so that he didn't interrupt whatever Alphamon wanted to discuss with the Warrior Ten.

"Nice to meet you!" KaiserGreymon called to him as he walked out into the hall.

Examon walked into the hallways with Dukemon, Magnamon and Sleipmon. "So... the Warrior Ten. Do we have other allies too?"

Sleipmon nodded. "As far as major groups, there's the Olympus Twelve on the eastern continent. And the Deep Savers in Delta Ocean."

"Good to know..." Examon said, looking thoughtful as he strode down the corridor.

Magnamon raised an eyebrow. "So, do you miss home yet, Examon?"

Examon blinked and looked at Magnamon. "Hm? No, not particularly. However... I am a bit worried, I guess. I was their first line of defence against invaders."

"And you still are, Examon," Dukemon explained reassuringly. "We all are. Remember what I told you. The UDC will have top priority if it's under attack."

Magnamon and Sleipmon looked at each other, giving the other an unsure look. Examon looked forward and nodded. "I suppose if that's the case, I shouldn't worry."

Dukemon gave him a friendly smile. "Yeah. Don't worry, Examon. Your home will be fine..."

* * *

><p>"Metal Howling!"<p>

Terrified Dramon cried out and watched as six missiles fell through the sky, hitting the grass and a couple of stone and wood buildings before exploding. Many of the dragon digimon began fleeing their town while others considered fighting back.

"What now!?" Flamedramon shouted, batting a flying piece of house away. "I thought Examon took care of all the bandits!"

"Maybe there were more of them!" the blue Coredramon responded, bracing himself as a blast threw him to the grass.

"But I can only see one of them!" Flamedramon responded, looking across the fields to where a black, metal wolf was dashing.

BlackMetalGarurumon smirked and continued his gallop. His wings were extended and he sprinted at what seemed like a leisurely pace for him. Trails of smoke streaked behind him as more missiles locked into place inside his shoulders. "_Anubismon wants me to bring you all to your knees, so that's what I'm gonna do,_" he thought. "_I'll show ya just what I'm capable of_."

"Okay, missiles," he breathed, narrowing his eyes. A targeting screen popped up in his vision and his laser sights went into action. "Coordinates delta 325, gamma 42; delta 209, gamma 41; delta 298, gamma 42."

"Metal Howling!" BlackMetalGarurumon shouted, launching six more missiles from his shoulder cannons and sending them sailing into the air.

Each pair of missiles arced in the sky before quickly plummeting in separate directions towards teh defending Dramon villagers.

"Blue Flare Breath!" Coredramon shouted, breathing azure flames towards the oncoming missiles to no avail. A missile landed at his feet and exploded, sending him crashing through the wall of a wooden house, which proceeded to collapse under the concussion of the blast and pin his lower body under the rubble.

"Coredramon!" Flamedramon shouted with worry. "AGH!" A missile landed beside him too, blasting him across the grass violently.

"Where the hell is Examon?!" the bipedal, military-suited form of a Sealsdramon demanded. The only that he was able to do was dodge an oncoming missile, the blast of which sent him tumbling into a somersault.

"With... R-Royal Knights..." Flamedramon weakly said, trying to prop himself up on his elbows. He growled a bit as he watched the BlackMetalGarurumon approach. They had never had to fight a Mega level digimon before. Champions and maybe a small amount of Ultimates they could deal with, but Examon always took on the hard opponents. They didn't stand a chance against this new invader.

Coredramon groaned and tried to move the wood and stone pinning his legs. "He'll... come. They said he and the Royal Knights would protect us..."

Sealsdramon grimaced as another missile exploded nearby. "The Royal Knights have a whole continent to protect! Not just a territory like Examon did!" he explained nervously. "They're not gonna come here."

"Don't say that!" Coredramon protested, glaring. "Examon wouldn't desert us!"

"He's not just Examon anymore. He's part of a group with ten other opinions! And there's a chance he might just go along with them, too!" Sealsdramon responded. He turned and saw BlackMetalGarurumon closing in. He quickly raised his combat daggers, but BlackMetalGarurumon lunged and slammed his feet into Sealsdramon's chest, sending him flying onto his back.

"Is there anybody else?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked with a grin, looking down at his prey, who he pinned to the ground with his paws.

Meanwhile, in the distance, a digimon flew through the air. With his arms folded, Anubismon watched as his brother overcame the dragon digimon with ease. He preferred to let his brother do the dirty work; BlackMetalGarurumon had more fun with it anyways.

"_This is going better than I hoped_," he thought. Anubismon grinned to himself and flew to meet them.

He swooped down and gracefully landed in the middle of the damaged village, touching down on the singed grass.

BlackMetalGarurumon stepped off of Sealsdramon and turned to face Anubismon. "How was that? Didn't even have to kill one of them."

Anubismon nodded. "Good work," he said, folding his arms and looking at the dragon digimon.

"Great. Another Mega level," Sealsdramon muttered. "Here I was hoping it was Anubismon from the Warrior Ten..."

Anubismon grinned and looked at them keenly. "I'm afraid not..." he told them. "Do you surrender?"

"Never!" Coredramon protested, despite being stuck under rubble.

"Yeah!" Flamedramon agreed, gritting his teeth.

"Don't listen to them," Sealsdramon insisted, dropping his daggers and raising his hands. "We surrender."

"What?! Sealsdramon, you traitor!" Flamedramon growled, getting up, onto his knees.

"I don't want to be deleted," he retorted. "There's no way we can stand against two Mega levels, and Examon's not coming!"

"He is coming," Coredramon insisted, managing to drag himself out.

"No. He's a Royal Knight now. He's forgotten about us..." Sealsdramon murmured. "He would have been here by now..."

Flamedramon grimaced. "We... don't know that..."

Anubismon smirked. "Being a Royal Knight is a big job. It has plenty of responsibilities and is also incredibly prestigious. With a role like that, the common digimon are often forgotten," he explained. "I'm not that kind of digimon. Sure, we may be invaders, but I promise a great future for all the digimon in this land. I may not be Examon, but I have other qualities... I could have had you all killed, but I decided to spare you, remember..."

The dramons frowned and glanced at each other. BlackMetalGarurumon circled them, stalking them carefully.

"So," Anubismon said calmly. "I ask you again. Do you surrender...?"

* * *

><p>Examon, Sleipmon, Magnamon and Dukemon walked into a large room similar to the communication room. It had a large, wall-mounted screen, but it was hooked up to a large, visible machine that rested against the wall. It was like a colossal version of the personal computer in Examon's room. There seemed to be more than one as well.<p>

"This is the computer room," Magnamon explained.

"How is it different from the comm room?" Examon asked curiously, looking around at the screen and machines. The technology seemed almost out of place in a largely medieval-style castle.

"This is a database," Dukemon explained, folding his arms. "We store information and data on these computers. We have things like records on us Royal Knights, our allies, past enemies we've fought, and we have records on past missions and operations. MetallifeKuwagamon created a firewall that made it basically impossible for someone to hack, which is good given how important a lot of the information is."

"Sounds useful," Examon said, nodding.

Sleipmon smiled and nodded in agreement. "It is. Why don't we show you the library nex-"

All of a sudden, a blue blur streaked down the hall and into the computers room, startling them slightly. The blur suddenly came into focus when it skidded to a stop, followed by the flap of wings and a blast of air.

UlforceVeedramon, the fastest Royal Knight, stood in front of them. "Guys," he greeted.

Dukemon grunted, his hair and cape blown back by the gust of air. "Ulforce, I thought you weren't supposed to go that fast indoors unless it was important," he said with a frown.

"It _is_ important," he explained, looking at the four. "Our patrols found something. Alphamon's calling a meeting in the war room."

"A mission?" Sleipmon asked.

"That would be my guess," UlforceVeedramon said with a smile. "Unless Alphamon decided to have a surprise tea party in the room where we do all our tactics.

"Let's not keep them waiting," Dukemon said, leading the group out of the room.

The UlforceVeedramon smiled at Examon. "Don't worry, Ex-sama. You should be fine as long as you're not fighting Dukemon," he teased.

Examon offered a smirk at him. "I'll try to keep up, Ulforce..." he responded.

The blue dragon man grinned back and walked up beside Dukemon. Magnamon and Sleipmon flanked Examon, getting around his large wings.

"Are you nervous?" Sleipmon asked, looking over at him.

"Not particularly," Examon replied.

"Good," Sleipmon replied, smiling warmly. "I know I was a nervous wreck on my first mission."

"Just follow Duftmon's instructions," Magnamon replied, gazing up at Examon. "I know he can be a jerk sometimes, but he knows tactics better than anybody."

"I'll do my best," Examon replied with a nod.

Dukemon led the group of five down the left wing hallway on the main level. The five knights walked up to a room with opened double doors. Examon followed the four in as they entered. He looked around curiously.

This was the war room. It was a large room with a long, wide table sitting in the middle of the room. The table top was black and, oddly, there were a few flashing lights and buttons. Coming from out of the top of the table was a large, digital, three-dimensional, grid-like map of the entire continent with several indicators on it. On the wall was a board with several more maps pinned to it. The six other knights were standing around the table, watching as they came in.

"There you all are," Dynasmon said.

"What's going on?" Dukemon asked. "Alphamon?"

"Our scouts say there's four separate attacks happening," Alphamon explained, pointing to the map. "One to the north east on a coastal village, one to the north west here, one to the south, and one in the United Dramonic Coalition."

Examon's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. "What?!" he asked, taking a step forwards. Dukemon looked at Examon with concern.

"There are four missions before us," Duftmon said, taking out his long, slender rapier, the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi, and tapping the 3D map in three places with its metal tip. "We only have enough knights for three. As the attack on the United Dramonic Coalition is low priority, we'll have to ignore that one and focus on these three more pressing attacks."

Examon blinked and turned to Duftmon incredulously. "Low priority?" he demanded in a low voice.

"Yes," Duftmon replied calmly and succinctly, continuing to stare at the map and not gracing Examon with so much as a glance.

It took every ounce of Examon's willpower not to clench his fists and snarl.

Dukemon watched Examon's expression very closely, and the crimson knight could see his distress, however controlled it was. The crimson knight, too, was uncomfortable with leaving the UDC, especially after what he told Examon. "Duftmon," Dukemon said.

The leopard knight looked up at him. "Yes, Dukemon?"

"Why is the UDC attack lower priority than the other ones?" Dukemon questioned, wanting to show Examon that he had somebody on his side before the dragon did anything he might regret.

"Numbers," Duftmon answered. "The three higher priority missions have between five and six Mega level digimon each, as well as between zero to seven Ultimate level digimon. The attack on the UDC consists of only two Mega level digimon, according to our scouts. Any numbskull that can count should be able to see which missions are more pressing."

Dukemon sneered behind his helmet, not liking Duftmon's tone. "Why can't we divide our forces to cover the fourth attack as well?" he asked.

"Moving even one Knight is too risky," Duftmon explained, frowning. "It would ruin the strategy entirely. Every single one of you has a vital role to play in defeating these attackers."

Examon's scaly brows furrowed. "But..." He growled softly, allowing some of his frustration to emerge.

Alphamon took a step forwards from his place between Omegamon and OuRyuumon. "I'm sorry, Examon, but I agree with Duftmon. He, Omegamon and I were discussing the tactics beforehand, and deviating from the plan puts not only us, but also the digimon who we're defending into danger," he explained.

Duftmon folded his arms and nodded. Magnamon frowned. "If that's the case, then I agree with Alphamon... What does everybody else think?" he asked, looking around. The majority of the Royal Knights all nodded.

"But Alphamon!" Dukemon protested. The crimson knight frowned and looked at Examon, who grimaced and looked down, seeming to grudgingly accept it

Alphamon sighed and walked around the table, over to Examon. He stood in front of him and looked in his eyes. "I know that the United Dramonic Coalition is your home, Examon. Rest assured that we're not about to abandon it," Alphamon explained, placing a hand on Examon's spiked shoulder. He then turned to the Royal Knights, UlforceVeedramon in particular. "Ulforce, I want you to head straight to the UDC as soon as your team finishes."

UlforceVeedramon nodded and smiled. "They won't even see me coming," he responded. The blue dragon man turned to Examon. "Hey, maybe once they see what I can do, they'll dub me the Dragon Prince or something."

"Or princess," Dynasmon quipped, smirking.

Despite the ensuing chuckles, Examon sighed. Alphamon's words sounded genuine to Examon, but they weren't enough to put the dragon's mind at ease. Alphamon seemed to notice this. "Is that okay with you, Examon?" Alphamon questioned. "Remember, your opinion is worth no less than anybody else's here. We're all equals."

Examon looked at the black knight with some worry in his eyes. "It's just... With every passing minute, they could be getting wounded or deleted. I'm supposed to be protecting them," he explained.

"Well, then," Duftmon spoke up. "The sooner we get these tactics down, the sooner we can get these missions done, which means the quicker we can go and halt the attack in the UDC. Disagreements will only waste time."

Examon gritted his teeth a little and looked at Duftmon. "...Very well, then," he spoke.

"Good," Duftmon replied, looking back to the map.

"Hey, Alphamon," OuRyuumon spoke up. "Mind if I join this mission too?"

Alphamon shook his head. "That would even the teams out to four each. That seems fine."

OuRyuumon grinned and twirled his swords in his hands, chuckling a bit. "Heh, sounds good! Can't wait to have some fun!"

"Be sure to follow my instructions," Duftmon said, glancing at him with some annoyance. "Now... First and foremost, the team heading to the northwest will be Dynasmon, Craniamon, Examon, and myself."

Examon frowned and walked over the table where the map was. Duftmon pressed a button on the table and the map suddenly zoomed in to a more specific location where there were four blue dots arranged very specifically, along with nine red dots that were spread out more chaotically.

"Those blue dots are us?" Examon asked.

"Good, you do have a brain," Duftmon mumbled. "Yes, the blue dots are our positions and the red dots are the estimated enemy positions."

Dynasmon folded his arms. "I think he gets it. So what's the plan?"

Duftmon pointed to a blue dot farther back from the other three. Thanks to the 3D digital map, the blue dot could be seen hovering high above the ground. "Examon, this is your position. You're to give us cover in the form of long range bombardment. Keep it up until we defeat the enemy."

"Or until you see us get into trouble," Dynasmon added, grinning a little.

"Please. That won't happen with this plan," Duftmon responded.

"Even if Duftmon's plan did fail," Craniamon said, at which Duftmon scoffed openly, "I would be able to handle it."

"Arrogance and overconfidence doesn't befit knights, you two," Omegamon pointed out, folding his arms.

"Hmph," Duftmon said. "Anyways, Examon will provide the long range fire while Craniamon, Dynasmon and I will approach from these three routes..."

Examon watched as Duftmon detailed the plan. He took the information in, but all he could think about were the Dramon of the UDC who were in danger right then, as they talked.

"_Two Mega level digimon_..." he thought. "_They can't handle that. The capital, maybe, but not the towns... Will they be able to hold out until we finish...? Dukemon told me that the UDC would receive higher priority when it came to receiving help. Was that a lie...?"_

_"The Royal Knights are counting on me... but so are the dragon digimon who I promised to protect..." _Examon grimaced very slightly. "_...What should I do?_"

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later...<p>

Dynasmon closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of the wind beneath his wings before their attack on these brigands. During the mission briefing, Duftmon had explained that there were four Ultimate level and five Mega level digimon. Four on nine... Dynasmon was okay with those odds. It would be a tiresome battle, but a winnable one, especially with the plan Duftmon came up with.

Dynasmon opened his eyes and looked to his left. A ways away, he could see Duftmon, who also flew through the air. He grinned. Typical of Duftmon, he wasn't straying from the attack path he came up with at all. Dynasmon then looked to his right to see Craniamon running along the base of the cliff, looking very determined.

That left himself flying up the middle of the valley to attack the bandits, who had taken a village for their own and taking whatever they could find. Since he was a close-range fighter, Dynasmon was to go in and attack fast and hard, distracting the digimon and allowing Duftmon and Craniamon to move in and surround them.

Examon was in his place behind them. It was his job to give them cover and support. However, Dynasmon noticed that Examon looked pretty distracted and introspective when they left him. He didn't think Duftmon noticed, and Craniamon either didn't notice or didn't care. Dynasmon assumed it was the latter. Dynasmon made a mental note to talk to Examon after they were finished here.

But for now...

"Dragon's Roar!"

The two gems on the palms of Dynasmon's hands burned brightly and unleashed two thin beams: one red and one blue. The dual beams spiraled around the other until they finally met and crashed into the black side of a GranKuwagamon bandit, creating a large explosion in the core of the group of nine.

Shouts and hollers erupted from the brigands as they staggered around in the power and smoke, trying to figure out what and who had hit them.

"What the hell was that?!" a Gryphonmon demanded.

"My shell is cracked!" the GranKuwagamon he hit shouted, hissing in pain.

"I... I see something!" a Hisyarumon bandit exclaimed, squinting through the smoke. "...It's Dynasmon!"

"The one and the only!" Dynasmon shouted, charging into the smoke and driving his large fist right into Hisyarumon's snout. The skinny serpent was sent flying back and blood trickled from his nostrils. He then landed on the ground and outstretched his arms, one at the Gryphonmon and one at the GranKuwagamon. "Dragon's Roar!" Two beams ripped from his palms and met the two bandits, creating two more powerful explosions.

"There's nine of us and only one of him!" the slender form of a Diaboromon shouted to his comrades. "Get him!"

As Dynasmon turned, the lens on the Diaboromon's chest began to glow. "Catastrophe Cannon!" the demon bandit yelled.

"Crud," Dynasmon muttered, seeing the lens suddenly surge with green energy. Before he could even think about dodging, the beam pulsed from the Diaboromon's chest, heading right for Dynasmon.

The draconic Royal Knight raised his arms and claws to try to block the attack the best he could, but he suddenly felt a presence behind him. A large shadow passed over him and a violet suit of armour landed in front of him, between himself and the emerald beam. Dynasmon looked up and saw Craniamon standing in front of him, a giant, black kite shield – the Avalon.

"God Breath!" Craniamon spoke, raising the Avalon shield and bracing himself. The Catastrophe Cannon attack slammed into the shield and split off into tendrils of green energy upon impact, looking about as effective as a jet of water. Dynasmon knew better; God Breath allowed Craniamon to protect himself or his comrades from all attacks from any direction for three seconds.

The attack dissipated and both Craniamon and Dynasmon were completely unscathed thanks to God Breath. Craniamon turned his head and glanced over his shoulder. "You should really be more careful, Dynasmon," he said with a bit of a competitive tone to his voice.

Dynasmon was about to reply, but he saw something. "Watch it!" he said, dashing towards Craniamon, who didn't notice the Diaboromon charging at him. "Dragon's Roar!" Dynasmon raised a hand over Craniamon's shoulder and sent a laser blasting into the bandit.

The Diaboromon flew back and stumbled, nearly tripping over his feet with his gangly legs. Dynasmon smirked and then raised his other hand, his palm flooding with destructive power. He unclenched his fist and power exploded from the lens on his palm in the form of a beam that flew and struck the Diaboromon in the face.

"Aussterben!" a voice called out from nearby.

The staggering Diaboromon bandit's back suddenly arched and he let out a scream as an arc of blue energy cut through his chest from behind. His form split apart and burst into data.

Dynasmon watched as the cloud of data cleared and saw Duftmon walking towards them, holding his sword, the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi, in front of him elegantly. The dragon grinned and looked at Craniamon. "You were saying?" Dynasmon teased. He then turned around to face the other brigands.

Craniamon grunted and jumped away from Dynasmon, spinning his giant, double-bladed spear, the Claiomh Solais, in front of him. "That was _my_ opponent..." he said, his annoyance very clear in his voice.

"Then you should keep your eyes on him," Dynasmon replied, punching the GranKuwagamon away with a powerful swing of his fist. The GranKuwagamon slid across the grass until he hit a rock, knocking him into unconsciousness.

Duftmon dashed forwards and clashed swords with a Zanbamon. "Keep to the plan," he told them, grunting with effort as he pushed against the larger digimon's blade.

"_Divide their forces and overpower them_," Dynasmon thought, remembering what the plan was. He caught a Grademon's blade in his hands, blocking it with the power coming from his palms. Dynasmon narrowed his eyes and snapped the sword into two. He proceeded to raise his leg and kick the Grademon hard in the chest, sending him crashing on top of the unconscious GranKuwagamon.

"End Waltz!" Craniamon shouted. Dynasmon turned and saw the violet knight spinning the Claiomh Solais over his head. Electricity ripped from the cyclone of his weapon and surrounded the Gryphonmon.

"That's strange..." Dynasmon muttered to himself. "Duftmon! Craniamon!"

Duftmon sneered and dodged a vertical swing of the Zanbamon's blade before turning and driving the tip of the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi into the Zanbamon's leg. He took the moment to glance over at Dynasmon. "I'm quite busy right now!" he shouted over his opponent's wail. "What do you want?"

"Same," Craniamon said tersely, focusing on spinning his spear in front of him to generate more electricity. "You don't need help, do you?"

"It's not that," Dynasmon replied, flying up above the ground a bit as four Ultimate level bandits surrounded him. "Shouldn't Examon be giving us support fire by now?"

"Maybe..." Craniamon grunted and was interrupted as the Gryphonmon broke free of the electricity and charged the middle of the Claiomh Solais, where his hands were. The force of the griffon's helmet on his hands caused him to let go of the spear, and the Gryphonmon then tackled him to the ground. He used the momentum to lean back, tuck his legs in and kick the Gryphonmon off him. He growled a bit at both himself and the Gryphonmon and got to a knee. "Damnit... Maybe we're blocking his shots."

Dynasmon nodded at the possibility and dove down, grabbing a MadLeomon by the face and throwing him far away from himself and the other knights. The lion digimon got into a roll and stood up. While Dynasmon expected him to be shot by one of Examon's attacks, the MadLeomon bandit just kept charging.

The Royal Knight frowned and took a fighting stance, drawing energy from the ground below. "Breath of Wyvern!" he shouted, creating a gigantic, white dragon of sheer power and energy that cloaked his body. The dragon snarled and rushed forwards, engulfing two of the ultimate levels in its flames along with the MadLeomon.

Dynasmon exhaled and took the moment of repose to turn in the direction that they came from, down the valley. He looked up to where Examon should be.

...And Examon wasn't there.

Dynasmon blinked. "...He's gone..."

"What?!" Craniamon demanded, hearing him. The knight turned towards Dynasmon, distracted from his duel with the Gryphonmon for that moment, and the half-lion, half-bird bandit took the opportunity to charge and tackle him down, causing an angry and annoyed cry from the knight.

Duftmon turned, staring at Dynasmon incredulously. "What do you mean he's gone?!"

Dynasmon looked at him blandly. "How many definitions of 'gone' are there, Duftmon?" he asked sarcastically. He pointed a finger down the valley, showing him that there was no Examon in the air or on the ground. "Unless this is part of your plan..."

Duftmon's green eyes turned to look for himself. One of his eyes twitched.

"WHERE IN THE HELL IS THAT OVERGROWN, FLYING NEWT?!"

* * *

><p>Examon grimaced as he flew through the sky, his lance resting on his back. He looked over his shoulder, regret in his eyes.<p>

"_I'm sorry, guys,_" he thought to himself. "_This is more important to me right now..._"

Examon swung around the Ambrosius and cocked a round of ammunition into place. He held the weapon tightly in his claws. The dragon looked down and saw the fields of grass passing beneath him. The grass of the United Dramonic Coalition.

He closed his eyes and a sigh left his nostrils. He felt terrible for leaving the Royal Knights in the middle of a mission, even if he did feel like he had to.

"_I hope they'll understand... I know the Royal Knights are depending on me... but the Dramon of my home are depending on me too... and they're far weaker..._" Examon thought, frowning. He tried to rationalize the situation to himself. "_They can't stand up against two Mega digimon like the Royal Knights can. I was just long range support anyways... They probably won't even notice I left._"

Examon sighed. He would make it up to the Royal Knights somehow. He just didn't feel like he could risk waiting for them to finish their other operations before going to help the United Dramonic Coalition. If any Dramon were killed, Examon felt like their blood would be on his claws since he left them to join the Royal Knights.

"_I'll try to make this quick... Maybe I'll even be able to make it back before Dynasmon, Craniamon and Duftmon are done..._"

* * *

><p>Anubismon grinned as he flew through the air above BlackMetalGarurumon. He looked down at his brother to see the black, four-legged lupine digimon look up at him.<p>

"That went the way you wanted, right, bro?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked.

Anubismon nodded and looked at the significantly larger, riverside town several kilometers ahead of them. That was their next target. "Yes. Good work. I just hope the rest of them surrender that easily," he said. "You did a good job at not killing anybody who stood in our way. Keep doing that, if you can."

"Sure thing, but why?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked.

"The less they hate us, the better. I want the mines, remember? If they see us as benevolent leaders, they'll be much more willing to work under us and we won't have to worry as much about uprisings," Anubismon explained, looking down at him. "Until we get richer, we only have so many cards we can play before the Royal Knights start becoming a problem."

"That's a smart way of looking at it," BlackMetalGarurumon explained, looking up and sticking his tongue out. "I guess you got the brains in the family while I got the brawn and the good looks."

Anubismon rolled his eyes.

BlackMetalGarurumon chuckled. After a moment, the black, cyborg wolf blinked and then his eyes slowly widened. "Anubismon! Look out!"

"Pendragon's Glory!"

Anubismon turned his head upwards and could see a red gleam. He then felt blinding pain as a laser burned straight through his wing, sending blood and brown feathers flying out. Anubismon let out a cry of pain and plummeted to the ground.

BlackMetalGarurumon snarled and went to action. He skidded to a stop in the grass and caught Anubismon on his back.

"D-Damn it..." Anubismon growled, his voice wracked with pain as he gripped his brother's back. "Who did that?!"

BlackMetalGarurumon looked up to see who their assailant was. His eyes widened again. "I-It's Examon!"

"What?!" Anubismon demanded, snarling in pain as looked up as well. Indeed, Examon was flying high in the sky with the Ambrosius pointed at them. "He was supposed to be with the Royal Knights!"

"Get off, Anubismon!" BlackMetalGarurumon commanded. "I'll take him down."

Anubismon grunted and dismounted, landing on a knee so he could inspect the damage to his wing. With that, BlackMetalGarurumon took off in a gallop. He glared up at Examon and he heard the clicking sounds of his munitions locking into place. "You'll pay for hurting my brother! I'm not holding back! Metal Howling!"

Examon tensed slightly with anticipation. "_So these are the two attackers..._"

The metal coverings on BlackMetalGarurumon's forelegs suddenly opened up and revealed a multitude of red-tipped missiles inside them. Also, a massive missile emerged from a hidden port on his back. Examon watched as the black wolf's wings extended and he started to fly. Smoke then erupted from BlackMetalGarurumon's forelegs, shoulders, and back, as the missiles started to launch.

Examon's eyes narrowed with concentration as he was amassed by a barrage of missiles from BlackMetalGarurumon's legs. "_Don't fail me, wings_," Examon thought to the sentient Caledfwlch.

In the face of the intimidating missile salvo, Examon's wings flapped hard in front of him as the missiles closed in. The Caledfwilch pumped the air and Examon flew backwards, putting space between himself and the missiles. With room to breathe, he raised the Ambrosius.

"Avalon's Gate!" A cylindrical shell fired from the lance towards the hail of red missiles rising from the ground to engulf him. The shell impacted one of the missiles, causing it to explode. Examon's shell then exploded from the missile's detonation, bursting into a giant ball of flames. The fire swathed outwards and engulfed several other missiles, causing them to detonate prematurely and cause their neighbouring explosives to do the same in a big chain reaction of fire, ice, water and metal.

Examon grunted at the heat against his scales and the Caledfwlch instinctively folded in front of his body to protect him with their chrome digizoid armour. He felt himself be thrown back slightly by the blast, but soon he opened up his wings. When he did, he saw BlackMetalGarurumon flying under the explosion, rising at a steep angle.

"I'm not done with you yet, dragon!" BlackMetalGarurumon shouted. The six missiles on his shoulders let loose and sailed towards him at high speeds.

Examon tried to raise his lance to attack, but he was still too busy recovering to be able to do it quick enough. His wings folded in front of him once again and the six sharp missiles hit his armour, pounding against it before exploding. The Royal Knight let out a stifled growl as the six detonations rocked and charred his chrome digizoid armour and threw him back in the air.

He opened his wings slightly, hoping to counterattack, but when he did, he saw the massive missile of BlackMetalGarurumon's back launching towards him. Before he could do anything else, the giant missile hit his wings and exploded, covering his wings with solid ice.

Examon grunted. He couldn't move his wings at all. He began to fall.

BlackMetalGarurumon let out a triumphant laugh. "Hah! Got you, dragon!"

The dragon in question narrowed his eyes and started tilting himself in the air so that he was falling headfirst towards BlackMetalGarurumon. "That's what you think," he muttered. "Draconic Impact."

Examon suddenly started falling faster, like a boulder. The metal of his armour began to heat up due to the friction of him falling. With the heated armour, the ice sealing his wings began to melt, and soon Examon's body was glowing red.

BlackMetalGarurumon's eyes widened as Examon plummeted towards him at a speed he couldn't avoid. He tried his best to turn, but Examon slammed into the lupine cyborg hard and sent him hurdling towards the ground. He landed hard on his back and his body dug into the ground. Even with the successful hit, Examon continued to fall towards BlackMetalGarurumon, aiming to hit him with the full power of the attack.

"No!" Anubismon yelled from nearby. "_Amemit!_"

A nebulous form of a shadow creature suddenly emerged in thin air in front of Anubismon before shooting quickly towards Examon, slamming into him and throwing him off course, away from BlackMetalGarurumon. Examon grunted and opened his wings – continuing the attack wouldn't have been worth it like that. Instead he swung the Ambrosius around and aimed it at BlackMetalGarurumon.

"Garuru Tomahawk!" the wolf shouted before Examon could fire. The port on his underbelly opened up and fired another huge missile towards Examon.

The Royal Knight flapped his wings hard and avoided it. "Avalon's Gate!" he countered, firing a shell that hit BlackMetalGarurumon's leg and sent electricity coursing through his body. BlackMetalGarurumon howled in pain, his entire body conducting the electricity.

Examon swooped down and landed in front of BlackMetalGarurumon. He drove the Ambrosius back and prepared to impale the wolf.

He drove it forward.

"Pyramid Power!"

The Ambrosius' tip ricocheted off something hard and deflected, instead digging into the ground. Examon let out a growl of surprise, suddenly immense pressure and tightness around him. He turned his head and saw that Anubismon had summoned a pyramid-shaped barrier of light around Examon, trapping him inside it and cutting him off from BlackMetalGarurumon.

Anubismon growled and held his wing, running over. "BlackMetalGarurumon! We're retreating!" he demanded, hissing as he approached.

BlackMetalGarurumon groaned and rolled over onto his stomach so that he could stand up. He glanced at the Royal Knight enclosed within the transparent, golden barrier. "But bro! We have him!" he protested.

"It won't hold him forever. We can't defeat him like this!" Anubismon argued, jumping onto BlackMetalGarurumon's back before he had a chance to argue further.

"...Fine," the wolf agreed with some reluctance. He stuck his tongue out and made an immature face at Examon before running off, back in the direction they came.

Examon flushed and gave a long snarl of anger, trying to fight against the pyramidal barrier around him, which was especially tight due to the large wings on Examon's back and arms, as well as the lengthy Ambrosius lance.

"Damn it," he growled, pushing against the barrier with his wings. He couldn't budge his wings or reposition his lance to strike out against the walls. "I can hardly move in this thing."

Knowing it would be a long, awkward, and embarrassing struggle otherwise, Examon decided to try and think of an alternate solution. He sat down and took the metal magazine out of the Ambrosius and gently emptied out the shells. "Maybe I can modify one of these to neutralize the barrier," he mumbled to himself.

Examon suddenly heard a tapping behind him. "Thinking outside the box, I see?" a familiar voice said.

Examon's eyes widened and he felt his insides drop. "_Oh, Fanglongmon, no,_" he thought, feeling blood surging to his face. He reluctantly looked over his shoulder. UlforceVeedramon was standing outside the pyramid trap, smiling and waving. UlforceVeedramon's smile could only be described as a shit-eating grin.

The dragon's crimson face grew even redder as he blushed hard. UlforceVeedramon was the absolute last knight that he wanted seeing him like this.

"Quite the pickle you've gotten yourself into, Ex-sama," UlforceVeedramon said, turning around and leaning with his back against the barrier, folding his arms. "And I'm guessing Dynasmon, Craniamon and Duftmon don't know you're here..."

In embarrassment, Examon put his hand on the top of his snout and rubbed his temples. "UlforceVeedramon... I know how this looks, and you probably think that I think I'm too good to follow orders, but I couldn't just leave the digimon here to get attacked," he explained, slowly and awkwardly turning around in the pyramid.

UlforceVeedramon looked over his shoulder at Examon. "I get what you were trying to do... but you forgot about Rule Three of the Royal Knights' Code of Conduct. 'A Royal Knight will not abandon another Royal Knight in his time of need.' I'll spare you the lecture, Ex-sama, because I know you're going to get a load of them once we go back to headquarters." He smiled a bit.

Examon sighed, turning his head in a hope that the cobalt knight couldn't see him embarrassment. "...Can you help me out then?" he asked, glancing at UlforceVeedramon, embarrassed at himself for asking that.

UlforceVeedramon unfolded his arms, stood up straight and turned to face Examon. "If I hear a 'please'..." he teased, smiling wider.

"...I thought you said a Royal Knight had to help another Royal Knight in their time of need," Examon responded, giving him a bland, not amused stare.

"Yeah, but it never hurts to be polite, does it?" Ulforce said with a chuckle.

"...I'll be okay," Examon said, going back to fiddling with the shell in his hand. It was more because he didn't want to hear UlforceVeedramon's teasing and gloating than not wanting to be polite. Plus, a part of him wanted to show that he wasn't as incompetent as the current situation made him seem.

UlforceVeedramon laughed and knocked on the barrier. "Oh, don't be like that, Ex-sama. You won't have to be trapped like a tin of sardines any longer." The blue dragon man held out his left arm and the large bracer around his wrist began to glow. "Stand back and brace yourself okay? Tensegrity Shield!"

A geometric barrier of energy suddenly extended from Ulforce's wrist and impacted the pyramidal barrier. Upon contact, Ulforce's Tensegrity shield caused the barrier to be repelled, and with a swing of his arm, the shield smashed the barrier and caused it to disintegrate.

Examon let out a sigh and outstretched his wings. "I appreciate the assistance... though I'm sure it wouldn't have taken me too long," he said.

Ulforce grinned and folded his arms. "If that's what you want to tell yourself..."

The red dragon grunted a bit. "Seriously, Ulforce... Thank you. Most of all, for coming here."

"Please, you'll make me blush," UlforceVeedramon said with a laugh, flapping his wings and getting airborne. "It's just a shame I had to help you instead of looking for the attackers." Examon winced a bit. UlforceVeedramon glanced at him. "Come on, let's head back to the headquarters. Alphamon's not going to be happy about this."

Examon's wince became a grimace. "_This isn't going to be easy... Time to face my punishment._"

* * *

><p>"You stupid, selfish, incompetent, unreliable, foolish IDIOT!"<p>

Examon grimaced. He stood in the war room along with the Royal Knights and OuRyuumon. Before him was Duftmon, glaring at Examon with such intensity that Examon was sure he'd burst a blood vessel. He, Dynasmon, and Craniamon had more dirt on their armour than the rest of the knights did. Around Craniamon's forearm, near the elbow, was a white cloth with a few spots of blood, covering a small cut under a tear in his violet suit. Craniamon looked almost as annoyed and frustrated as Duftmon did; he glared daggers at Examon.

"...I apologize," Examon said humbly, glancing more at Alphamon than Duftmon. UlforceVeedramon had to tell the others what had happened. Examon didn't blame him; he was planning to tell the truth anyways.

"And that makes what you did alright?" Duftmon asked, sneering. "We were depending on you for support fire! Your leaving on nothing but a whim screwed up my entire plan and compromised the mission! And Craniamon's wound is proof of that!" The leopard knight couldn't help but growl.

"I know..." Examon calmly replied. "I regret it, but I couldn't just leave them."

"Yet according to your report, UlforceVeedramon arrived only three minutes after you drove the two invaders off," Duftmon said, narrowing his eyes. "If you hadn't left your position, he would have been able to show up and take care of them. Instead, our team had more trouble, the Anubismon and BlackMetalGarurumon escaped, and you ended up confined in a box."

Examon flushed. On the last comment, he heard OuRyuumon snickering in the background. "...I didn't know that at the time," he said.

"That's not an excuse!" Duftmon growled. The brown knight turned towards Alphamon. "I told you, Alphamon. I said that he would be trouble, but _you_ didn't listen. Now we have an overgrown newt among our ranks who thinks that he can just ignore tactics and do whatever he pleases! You had better deal with this, Alphamon."

Alphamon narrowed his yellow eyes at Duftmon a bit. Duftmon pushed Examon aside, seething, and stormed out of the room in a huff.

"Duftmon!" Dukemon protested, wincing slightly at the situation. The white and red knight looked over at Examon, who grimaced.

Alphamon sighed as Duftmon left. Omegamon looked at the Lord of the Empty Seat and then at Examon. He took a step forward, but found Alphamon's hand blocking him.

"No. I'll do it," Alphamon said. Omegamon nodded and leaned against the table next to him. Alphamon walked forwards.

Examon turned back towards Alphamon and saw a black gauntlet heading towards his face. Before he could react, Alphamon's fist collided with his snout. Examon let out a growl of surprise and was sent flying through the air from the force, and crashing to the floor, on his back.

"A-Alphamon!" Dukemon said with shock, going over to where Examon landed.

Examon grunted with pain and felt blood trickle out of his nostrils for the second time that day. He felt stinging in his eyes and throbbing in his nose from the violent blow to his snout.

Alphamon ignored the pain in his fist and walked calmly over to Examon. With an unreadable expression, Alphamon bent down and grabbed hold of the sharp tips of Examon's wings. He then pulled, gently heaving Examon onto his feet before letting go. He looked into Examon's eyes.

"Examon..." Alphamon began, his voice calm yet disappointed. "As much as I hate to say it, Duftmon's right. You're an idiot."

Dukemon grimaced a bit, "Alphamon, wait a second."

Alphamon raised his hand at Dukemon, urging him not to speak. Even when doing that, he didn't take his eyes off of Examon. "Let me say this, Dukemon..."

Dukemon sighed, but nodded.

The black armoured leader of the Royal Knights continued staring at Examon. "I know your heart was in the right place, but you going off on your own _did_ screw up Duftmon's plan. I know better than anybody how insufferable he can be, but his tactics are very good; they ensure the safety of us knight as well as the digimon who we protect," Alphamon explained. "These aren't all going to be easy missions like this last one, Examon. You _can't_ go off and jeopardize the plans; lives hang in the balance. I know you don't want to be the cause of an innocent digimon or a fellow knight's death."

Examon grimaced and looked away. "I don't... I'm sorry, Alphamon."

Alphamon sighed. "It's not just that..." he said. "Examon... I know that you're used to doing your own thing. You have always worked alone in protecting the UDC. However... you're a Royal Knight now. You _can't_ just go off and work alone. You have to be a team player. You have to have the other Knights' backs as much as they have to have your back. We're a team, Examon." Alphamon turned and looked at Craniamon, who folded his arms, wincing slightly. "Even Craniamon puts the lone wolf thing aside for the good of the team and the missions."

Examon looked down, shame in his eyes.

Alphamon placed his hand on Examon's spiked shoulder. "I know that you care for the UDC, but there have been times where _each_ of us have had to put more important missions over ones involving our homes. It wasn't easy, but it was our duty to the world. Do you understand that, Examon?"

The reply was a nod. "I... apologize," he spoke.

The black knight squeezed his shoulder and then let go. "I know you won't do something like this again..." He smiled slightly. "Go get some rest, Examon. Oh... and I'm also taking you off the next three missions so you have some time to get used to things."

Examon nodded, accepting the punishment. He turned to the others. "It... won't happen again," he said to them, nodding before walking out.

Dukemon watched Examon leave and frowned. He approached Alphamon and looked at him. "Alphamon... it wasn't his fault, you know. Well, not entirely..." Dukemon explained. "When I gave him your invitation, I told him that the United Dramonic Coalition would have top priority. I wanted to make sure that he joined..."

Alphamon sighed and rubbed his temples. "I see... Still, that doesn't excuse his actions. I'm reprimanding him the same way that I would you or anybody else," he explained.

Dukemon nodded. "Yeah, I know..." he looked at Alphamon. "Mind if I go talk to him?"

"Not at all," Alphamon replied. "You can all get some rest."

"Great!" RhodoKnightmon said. "I'll get started on dinner."

* * *

><p>Within a small yet long room, there were rows of benches. There were two rows of five benches going down the length of the room. At the end of the room there was an altar, with a large painted glass window of a white, polygon-shaped figure in a vaguely humanoid – almost angel-like - shape. Its head had a large, red eye. This was a chapel dedicated to the god Yggdrasil.<p>

In one of these pews sat Examon. Examon closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. Behind him, the door creaked open and the sound of heavy footsteps along with the rattling of armour echoed through the hallowed room of worship.

Examon opened his eyes and saw Dukemon walk in.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, slipping in and sitting down beside him, leaning back against Examon's wing before he could respond.

"By all means..." Examon replied, looking over with a heavy expression.

Dukemon frowned and put his hand on Examon's shoulder. "I'm sorry about all that, Examon. I didn't think a situation like that would happen..."

The dragon knight shook his horned head reassuringly. "No, I deserved everything I got... I shouldn't have broken off from the group," Examon explained. "I have a lot to get used to now that I'm a Royal Knight... Alphamon was right. I can't just do everything solo... and I have to realize that I'm protecting the world, not just the UDC..." Examon closed his eyes. "I just hope I can do that."

Dukemon smiled a bit. "I'll help you," he told him. "...So what are you doing here? Praying to Yggdrasil?"

Examon returned the tiny smile. "I guess so... To be honest, I was raised believing in Fanglongmon. Don't tell anybody, though. I am already different enough," Examon said with a barely noticeable trace of humour in his voice.

However, Dukemon seemed to pick up on it enough to laugh. "Yeah? Well, that's something you and Ulforce have in common."

Examon nodded but sighed. "I guess I didn't make any friends earlier..."

"Yeah..." Dukemon agreed. "Duftmon's probably isolating himself in the library, and Craniamon's probably on a training binge, but just give things time. Make sure you're extra impressive and cooperative on your next mission."

With a nod, the dragon leaned back and cracked his stiff neck. "I suppose..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Alphamon stood in front of the bright, glowing screen of the monitor in the communications room. He stood alone in the dark room, lit only by the screen, staring at the person on the other end of the video feed.<p>

"...Did anyone ever tell you that you kind of look like a rabbit?" said an excited voice.

Alphamon glared at the figure on the screen, which happened to be KaiserGreymon of the Warrior Ten. "...You did. Several times, KaiserGreymon..." Alphamon responded with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh. Right," the black dragon man responded, folding his arms across his chest. "Bad day?"

"Just exhausting..." Alphamon said. "You're lucky to have such an open-minded group of digimon."

"Why do you say that?" KaiserGreymon asked, looking slightly uneasy.

"You don't have Duftmon questioning your every move," Alphamon replied with a small grin.

KaiserGreymon grinned as well. "No, I just have AncientGarurumon questioning my every move..." he responded. "Right. Anyways. Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Alphamon nodded. "Yes, let's. I was wondering why you wanted to talk with me in private..." he said to the Warrior of Flame, folding his arms.

"I've heard rumours..." KaiserGreymon spoke.

"About the recent raids?" Alphamon asked.

KaiserGreymon shook his head. "No. Nothing to do with that. Something bigger..." he said gravely. "Bigger than my group of the Warrior Ten and your order of the Royal Knights, even."

Alphamon's expression turned graver. "...Like what?"

"I don't exactly know..." KaiserGreymon said with a shrug. "But apparently a Baronmon made a big stir in the nearby town."

"Baronmon..." Alphamon mused, rubbing his chin. "They can supposedly see the future, can't they?"

KaiserGreymon shrugged. "If you believe that nonsense. I sure don't," he replied.

"But you wouldn't have wanted to talk to me if you weren't concerned," Alphamon said.

"...It's just a feeling I'm getting in my gut," KaiserGreymon explained, frowning.

Alphamon nodded. He felt the same feeling of unease himself from time to time. Maybe it was innate. "Well... What did the Baronmon say?" he questioned.

KaiserGreymon folded his arms and looked at Alphamon. "Apparently he kept on repeating the same thing..."

Alphamon raised an eyebrow. "...What?"

"Beware the black night..."


	6. Chapter 5: Effort

**Chapter 5: Effort **

The clamour of relaxed and hungry chatter filled the air. A week had passed and it was the end of another hot and tiresome day of work, and the knights enjoyed the cool shelter of the castle's cafeteria. The Royal Knights, as well as many of the other inhabitants of the castle, occupied a very spacious room filled with many tables and seats.

Along one wall was a long, stone bar that separated the dining area from the kitchen. Digimon lined up alongside it, stopping at a large window where food was being served from. Two Knightmon in aprons manned the window, occasionally bringing out new food from the kitchen once they ran out of one thing. There were several different foods to choose from: meats, fish, vegetables, pasta, bread, and beverages.

Duftmon, Craniamon, Dynasmon, and Dukemon sat at a table with their meals, either focusing on eating or talking over the commotion around them.

Dynasmon stabbed his fork into a slab of meat, lifted it up and took a bite out of it. "I have to say, Rhodo really outdid himself with this meat this time," he said with a grin and a mouthful of meat.

"And your table manners are as appalling as ever," Duftmon muttered, eyeing Dynasmon's eating habits with a look of disgust. The leopard digimon looked down and went back to meticulously cutting his piece of fish before bringing it up and into his mouth, and then dabbing his mouth formally with his napkin.

"How's the wound doing, Craniamon?" Dukemon asked, looking across from him at the violet knight. He grinned a bit. "I don't know how you gave it time to heal with all that training you've done recently."

"Hmph," Craniamon replied. He stretched out his arm, flexing it in and out experimentally. "It's healed enough. I still can't believe that that measly Gryphomon got in that lucky shot..." he said.

"Lucky shot. Right," Dukemon chuckled, tearing off a piece of bread.

Dynasmon grinned and looked over at Craniamon. "Hey, don't try so hard. Nobody's perfect," he explained.

"I suppose you would know," Duftmon muttered, not looking up at him.

Dynasmon gave Duftmon a flat look before flicking a piece of potato right between Duftmon's eyes. Duftmon paused and slowly raised his eyes, fixing a cold glare on Dynasmon, who was now grinning widely.

Dukemon stifled a chuckle, but his smile soon faded upon noticing Examon walk through the crowd. He watched as the new Royal Knight took his tray of food to a table off to the side that had nobody sitting at it.

"Poor guy," Dynasmon said, following Dukemon's gaze over to Examon. "Not very sociable, is he?"

"He probably still feels bad about last week," Dukemon explained.

Craniamon and Duftmon both turned around, looking over their shoulders to see what their fellow knights were talking about. Upon seeing Examon, their expressions bent into frowns.

"He should," Craniamon said, turning around and going back to eating.

"It serves him right," Duftmon agreed, nodding. "That plan was flawless."

Craniamon glanced over at Duftmon. "Apparently it wasn't. You didn't account for a dragon who thinks he knows better," he explained.

Duftmon narrowed his eyes. "That's hardly my fault," he replied.

Dynasmon sighed and shook his head, shaking his meat-garnished fork at them, inadvertently getting some of its juices on Duftmon's salad. "You two aren't exactly making it easy for Examon to get comfortable and fit in."

Duftmon narrowed his eyes and daintily removed a juice-covered piece of lettuce from his bowl with disgust. "Would you rather I lie about the way I feel about him?" he asked.

Dynasmon grinned. "...Yes? But we all know you can't lie to save your life."

"I wouldn't let myself be put in a situation where I would _need_ to lie to save my life," Duftmon answered.

Meanwhile, the crimson knight Dukemon shook his head and looked over at Examon. "I think I'll go join him," he said, standing up with his tray.

Dynasmon looked up at Dukemon. "Want me to come along?"

"Don't worry about it, Dynasmon. I just want to have a chat with him," Dukemon replied, smiling reassuringly. "I appreciate the offer though."

Dynasmon nodded as Dukemon left their table. "Well, if he wants to waste his breath..." Duftmon muttered.

"Hey, he spent his time talking to you two, didn't he?" Dynasmon joked.

Dukemon proceeded around passing digimon over to the side of the cafeteria. He sat down on a wooden seat across the table from Examon, looking at him with a grin. Examon looked up at him curiously.

"Remember how you said you'd try to be more of a team player?" Dukemon asked, smiling at Examon a little.

Examon raised his eyebrow, not sure what Dukemon was getting at. "...Yes?"

"Well, you know, Examon... sitting all alone at a table isn't a very good start."

Examon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, right... Force of habit, I guess," he replied, looking around. "Besides, I didn't think anybody would want to sit with me after what I did last week."

Dukemon smiled a bit. "Hey, there's me, for one," the red Royal Knight replied. "There's them." He looked over to a table where Magnamon, Sleipmon, and UlforceVeedramon was sitting. "Sleipmon and Magnamon like you, right? And you and Ulforce have been getting along better. ...The more you think of yourself as an oddball, the more others will agree that you are. Prove them wrong by making an effort; Yggdrasil knows that we have more quirky Royal Knights than you."

Examon grinned slightly. "...I suppose you're right. I'll try to," he answered. "You make it seem so easy, though, Dukemon. You're so relaxed and there's no reason for anybody to have second thoughts about being your friend."

Dukemon looked down for a moment, but then looked back up with a smile, scratching at his cheek with his index finger as he did. "...Yeah. I suppose. Though not everybody likes my hotheadedness, which, I admit, is very understandable," Dukemon said.

"And not everybody likes my taciturn nature," Examon said, grinning.

"So we both have flaws; I'm doing okay, aren't I?" Dukemon asked with a smile. "You know I'm right, Examon."

Examon rolled his eyes and stood up. "Okay, okay," he said, though smiling. "I'll go try making friends."

The large dragon man took his tray of food and began to walk over to the table that Magnamon, Sleipmon, and UlforceVeedramon were sitting at, seeing a vacant seat beside UlforceVeedramon. As Examon walked away, Dukemon stood up at the table. His gold eyes looked down and he rubbed at his chest slightly. Without another word, Dukemon turned and walked towards the exit.

Examon, meanwhile, approached the table with a bit of uncertainty. "Erm... Excuse me," he spoke, getting the three Royal Knights' attention. "May I join you?"

"Oh, heyyyy, Ex-sama!" UlforceVeedramon greeted with a teasing smile. "Couldn't find your throne?"

Magnamon glared at the larger blue knight. "Ulforce... Of course you can, Examon."

Examon nodded and sat down beside UlforceVeedramon, although he was slightly uncomfortable with the fact that their large wings were touching the other's. Nevertheless, he grinned at UlforceVeedramon. "Oh, I'm sure I'll survive..." he replied.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled, enjoying the fact that Examon could laugh at himself. "Well, I'd say that that pyramid incident last week was actually a blessing in disguise. It brought you down a few pegs, so now you should be able to fit in with us better," he said with a grin.

Examon's cheeks tinted. "Yeah, but you don't have to keep bringing it up..."

Sleipmon chuckled and ate a forkful of carrots. "Don't mind Ulforce. Once he gets his teeth into something juicy like that, he won't let go. Like the time Magnamon here almost drowned," he explained.

"Sleipmon!" Magnamon protested, but it was too late.

UlforceVeedramon laughed and looked at Magnamon. "Oh yeah! You were splashing around. And I remember that cute little scream you made while you were sinking," he said with a chuckle. He then went on to mimic the scream Magnamon made. UlforceVeedramon went out of his way make the mock-scream sound exaggeratedly high-pitched and girly.

Sleipmon grinned widely. "I hear that for Magnamon's birthday that year, UlforceVeedramon bought him a pair of water wings."

As a favour to Magnamon, Examon tried his best not to chuckle. Magnamon's face was bright red with embarrassment and he was glaring daggers at UlforceVeedramon. "You are dead, Ulforce," he said, putting his gold helmet on to cover his blushing.

Examon rubbed the back of his neck. "...Well... why don't we settle all our differences with that 'pool' game?"

Sleipmon raised an eyebrow curiously but smiled. "You want to play, Examon?" he asked, enjoying the idea.

Examon nodded. "I'd... like to learn, if you guys are willing to teach me."

UlforceVeedramon smiled. "Sure! Competition's been pretty stale, recently." He cast a grin at Magnamon, who frowned harder.

"I'm in," Magnamon agreed, very eager to put UlforceVeedramon in his place.

"Great!" Sleipmon said, standing up and smiling. "Then let's go show Examon how it's done."

* * *

><p>A few tables away, Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon sat and finished up eating their meals while talking. Alphamon and OuRyuumon sat on one side, and Omegamon sat on the other, across from Alphamon.<p>

Omegamon watched as Examon, UlforceVeedramon, Magnamon, and Sleipmon all stood up and began heading for the exit. The white knight turned back to Alphamon with a faint grin.

Alphamon smirked at Omegamon and put his fork down. "Have something to say, Omegamon? 'I told you so', maybe...?" the black knight asked his friend.

"Well, you have to admit, Alphamon, he's doing better than before. For the most part, they have warmed up to him..." Omegamon responded.

"So his first mission back was a good one. Big deal!" OuRyuumon said, glaring at Examon as he left with the other three. "He still screwed up that first mission pretty good."

"A few of the knights, notwithstanding... " Alphamon said, grinning at Omegamon.

"It's still progress, OuRyuumon," Omegamon said, before taking a sip of water. "I bet you two will be friends sooner than you think."

OuRyuumon laughed out loud mockingly. "Hahahah! Me and Exa-twit? Yeah, right!" the tall, gold dragon retorted, snickering. "Maybe I'll trade in my swords for a broom and go become somebody's maid while I'm at it!"

Out of the corners of his eyes, Alphamon glanced at OuRyuumon. The image of OuRyuumon dressed up in a maid's uniform had entered his mind, making him grin. "Maybe..." he spoke, subtly teasing him.

OuRyuumon nudged Alphamon's arm with his elbow, his gold scales tinting red slightly. Omegamon raised an eyebrow in confusion but remained silent. OuRyuumon cleared his throat. "Anyways, enough about Examon; I don't want to lose the delicious supper RhodoKnightmon made."

"What?" a voice said. They looked up and saw RhodoKnightmon, who was wearing a rose-themed apron, walking over to their table. "A compliment on my cooking from _OuRyuumon_? Well then, it _must_ be especially good tonight."

"You've outdone yourself, as usual, Rhodo," Alphamon told the pink knight, wiping his own mouth with his napkin before folding it and putting it on the table.

"And you're such a gentleman, as usual, Alphamon," RhodoKnightmon responded, smiling. He looked over at OuRyuumon. "You could learn a thing or two from him, OuRyuumon."

OuRyuumon flushed a bit at RhodoKnightmon's words, wondering what exactly he was implying. He hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. "What's that supposed to mean?!" he demanded defensively.

"It means, my tall, lavender-haired friend, that your manners are virtually non-existent," RhodoKnightmon explained.

"For the last time, my hair is _not_ lavender!" OuRyuumon protested, probably more passionately than he should have.

"It is so. And anyways, what's wrong with Examon?" Rhodo asked. "Have you not seen his toned muscles and sculpted physique?"

"No, I haven't! I mean... I _have_, but... I'm not gay, unlike you!" OuRyuumon finished, blushing quite a bit. Alphamon struggled not to roll his eyes at OuRyuumon's clumsy cover up. "I just don't think he deserves to be a Royal Knight!"

Omegamon looked over at OuRyuumon. "What will it take for you to accept him?"

"Well... making me a Royal Knight wouldn't hurt," OuRyuumon mumbled, glancing at Alphamon beside him.

"We've talked about this, OuRyuumon..." Alphamon spoke, glancing at him back, tilting his head to look up at the tall dragon digimon.

"Yeah, yeah..." OuRyuumon muttered indignantly, looking away.

Despite his words, OuRyuumon moved his claws and took Alphamon's hand, gripping it tightly and warmly, under the table and hidden from Omegamon and RhodoKnightmon's view. Alphamon's expression didn't change, but he squeezed his lover's hand back tenderly.

A few seconds later, once he was satisfied, OuRyuumon let go of Alphamon's hand and turned to him as if nothing happened. "What were you telling Omegamon and I before? You said you were talking to KaiserGreymon about something?"

"Oh!" RhodoKnightmon interjected. "Was he trying to see if you were a bunny digimon again?"

"No," Alphamon said flatly, although the rabbit topic had come up... much to his annoyance.

RhodoKnightmon put his hands on his hips and frowned, looking at Alphamon. "You know, you and KaiserGreymon would make a good couple. You're both big, strong, handsome leaders..."

"Except for the fact that I'm straight," Alphamon spoke casually. "And I'm sure KaiserGreymon is, as well."

"And, no, they wouldn't make a good couple!" OuRyuumon blurted out.

RhodoKnightmon turned to OuRyuumon. "Then what do you think?" he asked the tall dragon. "KaiserGreymon and AncientGarurumon? Or Alphamon and Omegamon, here?"

Omegamon flushed and nearly spat out his mouthful of stew, but luckily had enough self control to swallow it. "Rhodo! Enough of your relationship fantasies!"

Alphamon nodded and glanced at the pink knight. "Yeah. We're just friends."

"Then why don't you find yourself a girlfriend, Alphamon?" Rhodo asked.

For a brief moment, Alphamon stalled. "I'm far too busy for a relationship," he explained, not looking at OuRyuumon at all through any part of the conversation.

"...Haven't we gotten kind of off-topic here?" OuRyuumon asked, a flat expression painted on his face as he tapped his claws on the table with annoyance.

Alphamon nodded. "KaiserGreymon said he heard a rumour. Something about a Baronmon supposedly having a prophetic vision and then saying 'Beware the black night'."

"Sounds ominous," RhodoKnightmon mused.

"Do you put any merit in it?" Omegamon asked, looking at Alphamon with curiosity.

"I'm not sure yet..." he admitted. "However, it had KaiserGreymon concerned, and that's enough to make me concerned. I think I'm going to travel out to the village tomorrow and see for myself what the Baronmon has to say."

"I'll come!" OuRyuumon decided. He then grinned excitedly. "Maybe there will be some thugs whose butts I'll get to kick."

"I'll come as well," Omegamon said to him.

Alphamon looked at RhodoKnightmon. "Rhodo, can you tell Dukemon he's in charge while we're gone?"

"Not a problem, Alphamon," RhodoKnightmon replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to cooking. There's many chatty mouths to feed."

OuRyuumon glanced at Omegamon. He was a bit annoyed that the white knight as coming along too. He was hoping to get a bit of alone time with Alphamon. However, he wasn't too bothered; he could just make time to be with Alphamon on the trip. He doubted that Omegamon would be hanging around them the entire time, even if he and Alphamon were close. "So, I guess it's just the three of us, huh?"

Alphamon nodded. "I don't want to pull any of the others away from their duties. Besides, the three of us are more than enough for a simple thing like this."

OuRyuumon nodded and stood up from the table. "Okay, well, I'm gonna go relax. Later, guys," he said, walking away from them.

Omegamon watched as OuRyuumon left, and then turned to Alphamon. "If there's one thing he could stand to do, it's relax..."

Alphamon grinned. "It's just too bad that fighting is one of the things that helps him do just that."

* * *

><p>A long, slender, wooden rod collided with a white sphere with a satisfying 'thwack' and sent the ball colliding with a red one, knocking it straight into a side pocket of the rectangular pool table. Bent forward over the table, Examon pulled the stick back and stood up straight. He propped the pool stick up and rested it on his shoulder and collar like he would his lance.<p>

He, Sleipmon, UlforceVeedramon, and Magnamon stood in the leisure room. He heard Sleipmon give an impressed whistle and trot closer to the table. Examon turned to him and noticed Magnamon grinning smugly at UlforceVeedramon, who had a disbelieving look on his face.

"Are you sure you've never played before, Examon?" Sleipmon asked him, looking at the balls remaining on the pool table. Examon had two whereas UlforceVeedramon still had five.

"How are you so _good_?!" UlforceVeedramon demanded, looking across the table at Examon. "You've never played before, but you're almost as good as Dukemon?!"

"It's nothing really," Examon insisted, letting his pool stick fall into his other claws as he turned to face his opponent. "It's just like aiming a lance, except lighter. My experience with my Ambrosius is probably why I picked up on it so quickly."

Sleipmon folded his arms and nodded, seeming to think. "That could be why Dukemon's so good at pool as well."

"Not so unbeatable now, are you, Ulforce?" Magnamon asked, smiling.

UlforceVeedramon shot the smaller blue digimon a glare. "He hasn't won yet," he said as he leaned forward to ready his shot. "And I'm still better than you, my pint-sized friend."

Magnamon rolled his eyes and went back to sitting on a chair. Examon observed as UlforceVeedramon very precisely aimed his next shot. It was obvious that he was getting serious now.

"Hmm..." Examon accidentally said aloud as he thought of something. Upon seeing Magnamon's and Sleipmon's glances, he decided to voice the thoughts. "Is Dukemon always so kind?"

"Kind?" Sleipmon asked before giving Examon a smile. "Well, he believes that everybody should be treated fairly. It's something I agree with... I haven't been around as long as Alphamon, Omegamon or Dukemon, but I do know that, yes, Dukemon is very kind."

Magnamon nodded in agreement. But then he seemed to think of something else. "As long as you don't make him mad... " he added.

Examon frowned. "Everybody says he has a fiery temper, but I haven't seen much of that, myself," he explained, still watching as UlforceVeedramon readied his shot.

Sleipmon rubbed the back of his head as he took on a sheepish expression. "I didn't believe it at first either. Give it a few weeks, Examon," he explained, smiling.

"I don't doubt you, but still..." Examon replied, remembering how nice and supportive Dukemon had been.

"Guys..." UlforceVeedramon said unsurely, glancing over at the three.

Magnamon rubbed his chin in thought. "Do you think the anger has to do with-"

UlforceVeedramon's eyes widened. "Magnamon! Don't mention that! What if he walks in again?!"

At that moment, a tall figure appeared in the doorway, right in Ulforce's view. "Hey, guys-" the voice began to say.

"Yah!" UlforceVeedramon shouted in surprise, the jolt making him hit the cue ball with the pool stick hard. The blue dragon man's eye twitched when the white ball flew off the table and impacted painfully with the figure's face. UlforceVeedramon gulped, as the ball seemed to stick there for a few seconds before falling to the ground.

"...OW! What the hell, Ulforce?! Don't you know how to aim?! Yggdrasil!" the figure demanded, storming into the room. As the digimon walked into the light, Examon saw that it wasn't Dukemon, but OuRyuumon.

Upon seeing that it wasn't Dukemon, UlforceVeedramon sighed with relief. "Oh... It's just you, OuRyuumon..."

OuRyuumon's eye twitched and he balled up his fists with anger. "What do you mean, 'just me'?!"

"He just thought that you were somebody else, is all," Examon explained, reiterating for UlforceVeedramon since the sentence came out rather badly.

"Who asked you, dumbass?!" OuRyuumon snapped at him.

Examon narrowed his eyes a little but remained calm in the face of OuRyuumon's ire and insults. "...Do you have a problem with me, OuRyuumon?"

"Wow, and you figured it out all by yourself, too!" OuRyuumon said. "Yeah, maybe I do!"

UlforceVeedramon smiled a bit. "Okay, Goldy. Just relax. You'll burst a blood vessel."

"Why?" Examon asked the tall, gold dragon, looking into his angry, purple irises questioningly.

OuRyuumon stomped up to him and poked Examon's chest with his claw. "Okay. You want to know?! I should be a Royal Knight right now. Not you!"

"So you're jealous that I was made a Royal Knight?"

"I'm not jealous! I'm pissed off that Alphamon made somebody like you a Royal Knight over somebody like me!" OuRyuumon snarled.

"It's his choice, isn't it?" Examon countered. "Aren't you his friend?"

OuRyuumon sneered. "Don't act like you know something about me and him! You've been here for, what, a week? I've known Alphamon for years!"

Examon folded his arms, getting more and more annoyed at all the wrath he had been receiving. "Maybe it's because Alphamon knows you so well that he knows making you a Royal Knight would be a bad idea..." he retorted.

Magnamon and Sleipmon exchanged looks. This was the first time they had witnessed Examon stand up for himself instead of turning the other cheek. UlforceVeedramon just watched with a smile.

OuRyuumon clenched his fists, looking like he was ready to attack Examon. "Why you!"

"OuRyuumon!" a stern voice boomed from behind him, the commanding tone causing everyone in the room to stiffen or flinch a bit.

OuRyuumon lowered his fists and looked over his shoulder. Alphamon stood in the doorway, staring at them disapprovingly while folding his arms across his chest. "Alphamon..." he spoke, a faint hint of nervousness in his tone. However, his confidence returned and he folded his arms back at him in defiance. "...What?"

"Both of you, stop. You're on a team whether you like it or not. Act like teammates," Alphamon ordered unshakably.

Examon nodded quietly in response, while OuRyuumon gave a 'hmph'.

Alphamon looked at OuRyuumon specifically. "Come with me. Now. We need to talk."

"Whatever..." OuRyuumon muttered, walking over to the shorter knight. He looked over his shoulder and gave Examon a final glare before following Alphamon out into the hallway.

Once in the hallway, Alphamon led him down the corridor towards the wing of the castle where their living quarters were. "OuRyuumon..." the Lord of the Empty Seat said in a disapproving, exasperated tone, making it clear that he wasn't happy with the dragon's behaviour.

"...What?" OuRyuumon asked, folding his arms as he followed. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the situation.

"You _know_ what," Alphamon told him, walking down a connecting corridor that led to the hallways where the Royal Knights' rooms were.

OuRyuumon grunted and looked off to the side. "Yeah. You're mad that I yelled at your precious new knight," he said with obvious resentment.

Alphamon let out an audible sigh and continued walking. "You know I don't play favourites, OuRyuumon..."

"No, only non-favourites."

Alphamon was silent as he opened the doorway to his room and turned around to look at OuRyuumon with a firm gaze. "Get in..."

OuRyuumon narrowed his eyes. "What if I don't- !" The shorter digimon interrupted him by grabbing OuRyuumon's wrist and yanking him in the room. "H-Hey!"

OuRyuumon stumbled into a large, spacious bedroom. In the room was a large, lavish bed, a desk with several documents on it, a bookshelf, a dresser, and an armour and weapons rack, among other things.

Closing the door behind them, Alphamon looked into OuRyuumon's milky violet eyes. "Please, OuRyuumon... This isn't _all_ about Examon... I don't need another person questioning my decision over and over again. Duftmon pretty much already thinks that I'm unfit to lead the Royal Knights. Craniamon thinks I made a bad decision too. If you, one of my closest friends, second guesses me too..."

OuRyuumon frowned a bit. "...Just 'one of your closest friends'...?" he asked him.

Alphamon smiled a little at him. "Much more..." he replied. "But the others don't know about us."

"I know..." OuRyuumon said with a sigh. He looked back into Alphamon's eyes. "It's not like I'm going around calling you a bad leader or anything... In fact... you're a great leader. It's just I don't like that damn Examon guy."

"You don't like _him_? Or you don't like the fact that he's a Royal Knight and you're not?" Alphamon asked knowingly.

OuRyuumon didn't respond for a few moments. "...Both! Whatever. Does it matter?"

"You can try to like him... And if you can't do that, can you at least try to be civil with him? For the sake of the team? Because that attitude you showed in there isn't the makings of a Royal Knight, OuRyuumon..."

The serpentine dragon grimaced and glared a bit at Alphamon.

"...Please, OuRyuumon," Alphamon said in a gentler tone, knowing he made a misstep. "I'm not asking you as your leader. I'm asking you as your lover... As a personal favour to me, can you please just _try_ to get along with him?"

After a several, long moments of thought, OuRyuumon folded his arms and looked away. "...I'll _try_," he decided. He looked down at the black-armoured Royal Knight in front of him. "But... only because I love you..." A small, warm smile formed on the dragon's face.

Alphamon returned the grin kindly. "Thank you," he answered, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around OuRyuumon's lean body, looking up at the tall dragon digimon. "I love you too..."

He leaned up and planted a tender kiss on OuRyuumon's lips, which the dragon man immediately returned, sighing contently.

"Alphamon..." OuRyuumon murmured affectionately. He placed one hand on Alphamon's shoulder and the other behind the knight's head, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

Alphamon intensified the kiss and continued it for several weighty moments, before pulling away and looking up at OuRyuumon with a tiny smirk. OuRyuumon returned the excited, mischievous grin, looking down at his lover. "I get the feeling you want something _more_ than just a talk, Alphamon..."

The Royal Knight smiled a bit wider. "I may be the Lord of the Empty Seat, but I'm _not_ the Lord of the Empty Bed..." he replied.

OuRyuumon chuckled and his claws started playing with the buckles and fasteners of Alphamon's armour. "Oh, I know that all too well..."

Without another word, the two resumed their passionate kiss and OuRyuumon hastily began to remove the armour from Alphamon's body. As that happened, Alphamon pulled off OuRyuumon's gloves and arm bracers while leading his dragon over to the bed.

* * *

><p>A long, unrestrained moan echoed through a dimly lit room. The air was heavy with the aroma of sweat, and shaky breaths filled the silence between the groans and grunts.<p>

"I'm almost finished..." a voice said from behind.

Anubismon nodded weakly and winced in pain as a needle and surgical thread entered his wing once again and pulled the skin underneath the feathers closer together. Behind him was a Wizardmon, who was stitching up the large hole in Anubismon's wing that Examon had made.

BlackMetalGarurumon watched with a frown. "I'm going get him for this..." he growled.

"No," Anubismon said through a hiss of pain and discomfort. "We... stick to the plan, brother..."

"You sure...?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked.

Anubismon glared hard in front of him, clenching his fists tightly. "We _have_ to now... We weren't supposed to be driven back. Now, it's only a matter of time before the Royal Knights connect the two of us to the attack."

"That means they'll come here to our town and castle to arrest us!" BlackMetalGarurumon said.

"Not if we attack the UDC and get a firm foothold there," Anubismon growled. "I'm not going to let this be all for nothing. Not when I have so much to gain."

BlackMetalGarurumon frowned at him, watching as the Wizardmon physician finished stitching his wing and wrapped some bandages around it. "Whatever you decide to do, Master Anubismon, you shouldn't use that wing for several days," the Wizardmon said.

"Damnit... Fine. Thanks," he hissed, nodding at the Wizardmon to signal him to leave. The Wizardmon nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Uh... but Bro?" BlackMetalGarurumon questioned. "They're going to be expecting us now. Both the Dramons and the Royal Knights. I don't think the two of us can win, even if we are pretty damn strong. Besides, you've got a screwed up wing!"

"It won't just be the two of us..." Anubismon explained, grunting in pain as he moved his wounded wing slightly.

"...It won't?"

Anubismon shook his head, his eyes darkening. "Now... it's all or nothing..." he muttered. "I'm using up the family fortune... All of it. If we just sit around and let ourselves be arrested, it would just be wasted anyways... Going to pay the strongest mercenaries I can find to fight for us. We're going to attack the United Dramonic Coalition with everything at my disposal..."

Anubismon grinned darkly and stood to his feet.

"Nobody, not even the Royal Knights, are going to stand in my way..."


	7. Chapter 6: Yet So Far

**Chapter 6: ...Yet So Far.**

The tip of the sun slowly emerged over the green horizon of the grassland and trees. The morning sky was painted with a warm pink and gold colour, providing a satisfying contrast to the still-dark landscape; it was a beautiful sight to behold.

Dukemon smiled slightly as the sun continued to come into view. It was beginning to force the prevailing darkness of the night to retreat in its wake. The rays of the bright star hit the knight's golden-yellow eyes as he watched, looking over the parapet of one of the castle's terraces.

Instead of his usual white armour and red cape, Dukemon was wearing black pants that were buckled by one of the red belts that he wore with his armour, as well as a white t-shirt that was tight and form-fitting enough to show the outlines of his chest and arm muscles. Emblazoned on the center of the shirt was a black, trefoil symbol of a triangle with three triangles branching off from the center one's vertices. Around the center was a circle. It was the same shape as the ones on the center of his cuirass and on his knee guards. Dukemon knew this as the Digital Hazard symbol... However, three more triangles were added as well, surrounding each side of the center, upside down triangle, seeming to make a bigger one from the four. It was the same symbol as the one on his helmet and the center of his Aegis shield. It was known as the Zero Unit.

Dukemon, like many of the Royal Knights, wore casual clothes when they were off duty. While carrying around plate armour was good exercise, it wasted energy needlessly, and, especially on hot days, caused one to get pretty damn sweaty, which is why Dukemon and others preferred to wear light, casual clothes unless necessary to do otherwise. Plus, wearing clothes was more comfortable and less cumbersome, and Dukemon liked the way the wind felt against his scales. They typically received their clothes from the same digimons who mended their capes, tapestries, and other textile needs.

The breeze in question, still cool from the night, blew against Dukemon, flowing through his long, white hair and across his red scales. He leaned forward on one of the parapets as he looked from the tall terrace, overlooking the castle wall and much of the land past it. In the distance, he saw a familiar crimson shape flying towards him. A smile grew on his face.

A large, metal, bird-like dragon that was as tall as Dukemon flew over and landed on a nearby parapet with a 'clang'. On his red body was gold lining, the same colour as his arms. He looked over at Dukemon with his blue eyes. "Hello, old friend," he said calmly. "Watching the sunrise again?"

Dukemon grinned and turned around, folding his arms and leaning back against the stone behind him. "Hey, Grani," he greeted, looking at the large dragon. "How did your patrol go?"

His official designation was Zero ARMS: Grani, but he was usually referred to as just "Grani". Despite being sentient, Grani was not a digimon. Although not digimon, Zero ARMS were digital lifeforms who typically served other digimon. Dukemon and Grani shared a close bond with one another and Dukemon was the only digimon who Grani would permit to ride him. Apart from Dukemon and Grani, no digimon knew how the two met.

"Nothing of interest," Grani replied with a sigh. The large dragon turned around and faced the same way Dukemon did, towards the emerging sun. "Though, at least the patrol wasn't a complete waste; I got to see a nice sunrise..."

Dukemon grinned. "Yeah... My favourite part of the day. The light appearing and getting rid of the darkness of the night," he mused.

Grani looked over at Dukemon and smiled. "I know..." After a few moments, the large Zero ARMS looked forwards again. "You seem to be close with Examon, I've noticed."

"Yeah..." Dukemon replied, looking over. "...You're not jealous, are you?" he teased.

Chuckling lightly, Grani shook his head. "I'm glad that you have another person who you trust," he replied, and, after a second, adding, "...and who trusts you."

"Well, I guess I kind of empathise with the guy." The light grin disappeared from Dukemon's face. "...I haven't told him yet."

Grani tilted his head curiously. "Oh?"

Dukemon shook his head and sighed. "For all I know, one of the others already said something to him and he's just really good at hiding it," he replied. "I was hoping to get him to trust me before confessing about it. That way, it might not be as big of an issue."

"That's true, but the longer you wait, the more the chances the other Knights have to talk..." Grani explained. The dragon moved closer to Dukemon and looked at him more closely. "However, if he's truly your friend, then it shouldn't be an issue at all."

A frown formed on Dukemon's face. "All of the Royal Knights are my friends, Grani - and, yes, I'm even counting Duftmon – it's just that not all of them are understanding like you are."

"You don't know that. Just because Duftmon has no tact and no social skills, doesn't mean they all feel the way he does," Grani retorted.

"That's easy to say..." the knight muttered. He then smiled lightly at Grani. "But I'm not going to let it affect me. I've got a job to do and that doesn't include feeling sorry for myself."

Grani smiled and nodded positively. "There's the Dukemon I like to see," he said. He blinked when a thought emerged. "Ah, that's right. You're in charge while Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon are gone, aren't you?"

Dukemon nodded and placed his hands on his hips, and he felt his fingers against the smooth leather of his red belt as they grazed it. "That's right. They left last night under the cover of night."

Grani nodded. "So what's your plan for the day? I mean... I'm assuming you _have_ thought that far ahead, correct...?" he asked in a teasing tone.

Dukemon laughed. "Oh, you're hilarious. Unless something comes up, it's going to be hard training today. Oh, and I want your scouts to-"

"Are we interrupting?" a voice said from the door behind them that led into the castle from the balcony.

Dukemon and Grani both turned their heads and saw the pink and violet humanoid forms of RhodoKnightmon and Craniamon.

Dukemon folded his arms across his chest. "The fact that you cut me off mid-sentence should have been a clue, Rhodo," he replied, smirking.

Grani observed the two Royal Knights carefully, noticing that, unlike Dukemon, they were wearing their armour at such an early hour. "You're both armoured up already?"

Craniamon nodded. "There's a new stance I'm trying to perfect," he explained.

"'Perfect' being the operative word with you..." Dukemon added in jest, looking at the purple knight.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Craniamon responded, his voice sounding as composed as ever.

"It is when you have impossibly high standards," Dukemon countered.

"Tch. Whatever, Dukemon," he said, turning and looking at the crimson knight sideways. "Some of us like our spearsmanship to be more than just 'decent'."

Dukemon turned around fully to look at him. "Those sound like fighting words."

Craniamon grinned and faced him as well, preparing to remove his gauntlet. "Then let's make a morning of it."

"You're on."

RhodoKnightmon stepped between the two and raised his hands. "Now, now. Put your belts back on, boys. That is, unless I should get a ruler out..."

"...That won't be necessary, Rhodo," Craniamon answered, shuddering at the thought of RhodoKnightmon being anywhere near him with a ruler.

"...Yeah," Dukemon agreed, flushing when he realized he got carried away. "I guess I forgot I'm supposed to be in charge."

"Mm," RhodoKnightmon said, nodding and smiling. "So do you have something worked out for the day, Dukemon?" he asked curiously. He then clasped his hands together with excitement. "A beach day, perhaps?!"

Dukemon grinned. "Don't get your hopes up."

The pink knight's body drooped melodramatically. "Aww... I thought you would be more lenient than Alphamon is..."

"Sorry. You can say goodbye to 'relaxed Dukemon' until they get back. It's my job to be responsible," Dukemon explained.

"Shouldn't that always be your job?" Craniamon asked him, raising his eyebrow.

Dukemon folded his arms. "Well, yes. More responsible then," he replied, ignoring the fact that Grani was rolling his eyes.

"So what _does_ our esteemed leader have planned?" Craniamon inquired in a tongue-in-cheek way.

Dukemon opened his mouth and felt the words about to leave his lips, but a calling from the sky behind him diverted his attention.

"Grani, sir!" a voice shot through the air.

The four knights watched as a Pteramon, one of Grani's subordinates, swooped down and hovered in front of them, taking a few moments to catch his breath. "What is it, Pteramon?" Grani asked him patiently.

"Grani, sir!" he panted, a bit frantic and looking as though he was struggling to suck in wind. "Big attack. Got spotted. Lots of Megas!"

Dukemon raised an eyebrow. "An attack?" he asked. He looked to Grani, who was in charge of the Royal Knights' Reconnaissance Squadrons.

"Where?" Grani asked him with a faint sense of urgency in his typically calm voice.

The Pteramon scout shut his eyes in an attempt to recall. "Um... Mu... four, Tau seven. Yeah! The Mu-Tau sector. Coordinates: Mu four, Tau seven. I counted at least eight Megas and they were moving fast!"

"Mu-Tau..." Craniamon mused to himself. "That's..."

Dukemon's eyes widened slightly as he came to realize where that was. "The United Dramonic Coalition..."

* * *

><p>"Will this take long?"<p>

Duftmon stood beside Magnamon in the computer room. They were both watching as MetallifeKuwagamon typed away on the computer at an impressive speed.

"Don't rush him, Duftmon," Magnamon said, glancing over at him for a moment before looking back at the screen.

Duftmon gave an indignant 'humph' and, with a jerk of his head, flicked his hair quickly to the side when he didn't like how it rested against his back. Once satisfied, he looked at the screen to see MetallifeKuwagamon going through a database of files.

"Hmm... Do you think this might be him, Magnamon?" MetallifeKuwagamon asked, pressing a few keys and opening a file of an Anubismon.

Duftmon started reading the digicode that was written in the file, as did Magnamon. "Could be. Examon might be able to recognize him," Magnamon explained. "Maybe I should go get him."

"No need," Duftmon replied to the shorter knight. "It's him."

Magnamon looked at Duftmon. "You're sure?"

Duftmon nodded, continuing to scan the page. "Brother: BlackMetalGarurumon. And their father was a MetalGarurumon X who was the mayor of Lupolford, one of the independent states in the Free Area. This Anubismon and BlackMetalGarurumon inherited their father's position and wealth upon his death and now Anubismon is the acting mayor of that particular free state, with BlackMetalGarurumon serving as his bodyguard. There have been rumours that he has had dealings with mercenaries, but during our inspections we had found nothing out of the ordinary and deemed the rumours unsubstantiated."

"Maybe we were wrong," Magnamon muttered to himself.

Duftmon scoffed, not dignifying Magnamon's words with a response. "But why would they attack the UDC, and with just the two of them?"

"We can all go and ask them together," a voice said from the door.

The three digimon turned towards the sound of the familiar tone. Indeed, Dukemon, who was wearing in his armour, stood in the doorway with a serious expression on his face. "Dukemon..." Duftmon said.

"What do you mean?" Magnamon asked.

"They and ten other Mega level digimon are on their way to the UDC's capital. We have to stop them," Dukemon explained, leaving no room for argument. "Duftmon, the scout will tell you what he saw and where. I need you to come up with a plan. ...You don't have any objections, do you?" he asked, an almost accusing tone in his voice.

Duftmon looked at Dukemon curiously. "Twelve Mega levels are attacking the United Dramonic Coalition," he stated matter-of-factly. "Why would I object to a counterattack?"

"Because Ex- nevermind. Good," Dukemon replied, biting his tongue on whatever he was going to say.

"Twelve Megas, huh?" Magnamon asked. "It looks like we're going to be outnumbered."

Dukemon nodded, but didn't seem concerned. "I'm bringing Grani along this time, Duftmon. We can't waste any time; we're heading to the war room now, so you can talk to the Pteramon who saw them on the way."

"Numbers don't decide the victor," Duftmon told Magnamon, striding past him towards the exit.

Magnamon looked up at Dukemon. "Does Examon know yet?"

Dukemon shook his head and followed Duftmon. "Soon enough... I'm hoping he reacts better than he did last time."

Magnamon nodded and walked alongside their temporary leader. "So do I."

* * *

><p>In the center of the war room, Dukemon stood next to Duftmon, staring down at the 3D map table in front of them. Examon stood patiently beside Magnamon, waiting as the other knights entered the war room as well. He assumed that this was another mission. It seemed to him that it was a big one, considering that all the Royal Knights were being gathered, save for Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon. Those three were away doing something that Examon could only guess about.<p>

His belief that the mission was a large one was enforced by the fact that Dukemon's friend Grani was there too. He knew that Grani was in charge of scouting and patrols, but he didn't know that he would go out on combat missions as well.

Examon looked around and saw RhodoKnightmon, Dynasmon, Craniamon, Sleipmon, and UlforceVeedramon all come in one after the other.

"What's up, Dukemon?" Dynasmon asked. "By the looks of it, we're not having a simple day of training anymore..."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Dynasmon," Dukemon replied, "but we have a pressing mission that we need to debrief you all about."

RhodoKnightmon sighed. "What a shame. I guess there really won't be a beach day, then…" He placed his hands on his hips and looked at Dukemon and Duftmon. "What is the mission, then?"

Dukemon looked at all of the knights, scanning them, before his eyes finally rested on Examon. "The United Dramonic Coalition is under attack," he explained, looking at Examon as if to inspect his reaction.

For the slightest moment, Examon felt his eyes widen with worry and surprise, but that was all. A second later his facial muscles relaxed and he looked as composed and calm as he usually did.

Magnamon and Sleipmon turned to look at Examon as well. Examon exhaled and spoke up. "…Is it the Anubismon and BlackMetalGarurumon again?" he asked, his voice steady.

"My scout reported that he did see an Anubismon and BlackMetalGarurumon among the group," Grani answered.

Sleipmon frowned and folded his arms. "Group? How many are there?"

"Twelve Megas," Duftmon spoke.

Craniamon nodded and clenched his fists. "Then there's more than enough for all of us," he spoke with what sounded like veiled excitement.

Examon looked at Dukemon and Duftmon. "But… are there any other missions of higher priority to consider?" he asked, surprising the knights.

Dukemon grinned proudly and turned to Duftmon, who blinked in surprise. Duftmon folded his arms and looked away. "…Well… no. An invasion of this size is of the utmost priority. That should be fairly obvious," he replied, seeming unwilling to show even a little bit of his begrudging approval.

"So, aside from the two canines who gave Ex-sama trouble, what are the other ten we're going up against? More puppies?" asked UlforceVeedramon with a playful smile.

Duftmon shook his head. "There's no theme here. It's a mixture of random digimon. Given that we now know who Anubismon and BlackMetalGarurumon are, we can assume that they've hired these ten mercenaries."

Dukemon nodded in agreement. "Given how Examon pushed them back the last time they tried to attack, I think they either underestimated him or didn't expect him to be there that first time. That's why they've brought so much muscle this time around," he explained.

Examon also nodded. "It's also possible they thought we would figure out who they were after the failed attack and come to apprehend them, so this is their final gambit," he suggested.

"But what do they want with the UDC?" Dynasmon asked.

"That's irrelevant," Duftmon spoke impatiently. "All we need to focus on now is how to proceed. I have the tactics worked out."

"So let's hear it, Duftmon," Dynasmon said.

Duftmon nodded and approached the map table. "We have to work quickly, as they're already far into UCD territory. We need to intercept them with haste and power," he explained. He looked at Examon. "Dragon, I want you to be with the advance team this time. You know the area and your flying speed is decent."

UlforceVeedramon grinned. "'His flying speed is decent'? That's big compliment from Duftmon, considering what an uptight grouch he us," he added with a laugh.

Duftmon glared at the blue knight and began to get flustered. "It is not! I was simply stating the purely objective facts," he said, huffily folding his arms and glaring even harder at him.

Dynasmon smirked at the events. "Come on, Ulforce. You know that Duftmon would never be intentionally nice," he chimed in.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled. "Silly me."

"Okay, okay," Dukemon said, hoping to reel them back in to the topic at hand. "Let's get back to the tactics before you make Duftmon burst a vein."

"Thank you," Duftmon said, the irritation obvious in his voice. After a moment, he shook it off and became utterly focused on the tactics. "Let's get this done quickly. I won't be repeating myself."

The Royal Knights nodded and gathered close around the table so they could all hear. With the band of hostile digimon on the move, they knew that that time wasn't a luxury they had.

"We'll begin with the first team…"

* * *

><p>Anubismon flew over the fifth Dramon village that they subdued that day. He looked below him; there were wounded and beaten up Dramon digimon lying on the ground and streets. The stone and wood buildings had holes smashed in them and many doors were kicked down.<p>

Anubismon, with his arms folded, drummed his fingers against his bicep impatiently, and he occasionally looked over his shoulders to scan the horizon. BlackMetalGarurumon hovered in the air beside him and looked at Anubismon, frowning. He looked down at the ground.

"Hey, guys! Get a move on!" BlackMetalGarurumon barked at the ten Mega level mercenaries that they had hired to help them with the UDC invasion. "You can get your loot at the capital once we take it!"

A black, humanoid dragon digimon with massive claws walked out of one of the houses and looked up at them. "Fine. There's nothing worth taking anyways," the BlackWarGreymon replied, taking flight again.

The other nine mercenaries who were scattered around the village began to head out as well, all in the same direction. In the far distance, the vast, stone city of the United Dramonic Coalition's capital could be seen. Tall towers and countless buildings made for an enticing silhouette, standing before an even more enticing backdrop of a huge mountain range. They were giant, stone titans, green with grass and dirt at the base, and a few of them white with snow on the higher peaks. They were a beautiful sight... but what Anubismon cared about wasn't the view, but the mines and gem deposits of the precious blue diamante and green malachite that lay in the mountains. This was what he wanted, and that capital city was his destination.

"I don't think I like these mercenary guys," BlackMetalGarurumon muttered to his brother. "They drove a hard bargain."

"Because they know we're desperate," Anubismon replied, flying forwards. "If we fail here, we're finished. However, at least they're behaving and not killing any of the digimon we come across."

There was a silent moment between them. Anubismon looked over at BlackMetalGarurumon, who flew beside him. "...I'm sorry that my insatiable ambitions dragged you into this, brother," he spoke, a tinge of warmth in his normally calm voice.

For a moment, BlackMetalGarurumon blinked and looked at him with some surprise. It wasn't long until a playful grin grew on his face. "Ahh, I don't mind, bro," he responded. "Just as long as I get to blow some stuff up. You know that I go stir-crazy in that castle of ours."

Anubismon nodded. "...That said, I don't intend for us to lose," he said, glancing at his brother. "As long as we can get to the city before being spotted by the Royal Knight's scouts, we'll be fine. It won't be hard to secure it; only the most foolish of the Dramon would dare stand against twelve Mega digimon, and I know that most Mega level Dramon leave and venture elsewhere in the world after digivolving."

"Except Examon," BlackMetalGarurumon added.

He narrowed his eyes at the name. Anubismon's wing still wasn't completely healed from that laser blast. "He_ is_ irritating... He may be a Mega II, but these mercenary digimon I've hired are skilled fighters too. He's no more skilled than the other Royal Knights. You see, brother, once we take the city, we'll have the advantage. We'll be able to take up defensive positions and, with all of the civilians around, we'll be able to attack them, but they'll have trouble attacking us since they won't want any of the Dramon in the city to be caught up in their attacks."

"Gotcha..." BlackMetalGarurumon answered. "Well... as long as we're getting our money's worth from these losers."

Anubismon rolled his eyes. "Try not to let them hear you calling them that..." he said.

He looked around at the ten mercenaries who were either flying or running in front of them. The team consisted of a BlackWarGreymon, a Boltmon, a Reapermon, a DinoRexmon, a Lykamon, a Regulumon, a Gryphomon, a Devitamamon, a ChaosPiedmon, and a ChaosWarGreymon. There weren't as many mercenaries as he'd hoped for, but he thought it would be enough.

Anubismon watched as the Boltmon led the charge towards the city. However, his brother's voice distracted him.

"How's your wing?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked him, looking over at the wound.

"I'll be fine..." Anubismon replied, closing his eyes. It would take just a few more minutes until they would reach the city. Anubismon thought to himself calmly, listening to the sounds around him. He heard the soft wind, several heavy footsteps and his own wing beats.

But then his ear twitched, hearing an unknown sound.

"Hey, what is that?" the sound of one of the mercenaries' voices – the Gryphomon, Anubismon thought – spoke.

Anubismon opened his eyes to see what the sound was and what the Gryphomon was talking about. He watched as the Boltmon at the front of the group came to a stop and turned his head to the left, also curious.

He heard the odd 'whoosh'ing sound get louder, like it was closing in on them. All Anubismon saw was a streak of blue wash over the Boltmon and then the large, green mercenary was gone, sent flying through the air and crashing to the grass thirty meters away. It all happened in less than a second.

Anubismon's eyes widened, jerking his head to the right to watch the Boltmon tumbling across the grass. He then turned to BlackMetalGarurumon.

"What the hell was that?!" he demanded.

"I-I don't know!" BlackMetalGarurumon answered, dumbly blinking in disbelief. "It was too fast for me to get a reading on!"

"I didn't see a thing! What happened to him?!" the Reapermon shouted out.

Again, Anubismon heard a whooshing sound drawing near, but it was deeper and heavier. "No... It can't be..." he whispered, his expression becoming a grimace. "We're under attack by...!"

Before he could finish, something caught Anubismon's eyes in the sky above him. However, instead of a flash of blue like before, this time he saw a flicker of crimson coming down from the sky.

"GE-" before Anubismon could warn them, a red, glowing meteor came plummeting down, faster than the sound barrier. The falling crimson object hit the Gryphonmon in mid-air, swatting him out of the sky like a fly and crushing him into ground completely. When the draconic shape slammed into the ground on top of the helpless mercenary, the impact caused the ground to fissure and crater in, and a massive shockwave exploded around him, sending Anubismon, his brother, and the mercenaries flying off of their feet or tumbling in the air at the violent blast.

Anubismon grunted and flapped his wings strongly to catch himself. He looked back at where he last saw the Gryphonmon. All that remained was a large, fiery crater that rained down pieces of tossed up dirt. He saw no Gryphonmon. Instead, the familiar form of a crimson dragon man emerged from the crater, his armour red hot from the atmospheric friction.

Anubismon glared at the dragon digimon. He knew who it was immediately. "You..." he growled at Examon. All of the mercenaries besides the deleted Gryphonmon readied their weapons, preparing for battle.

Examon calmly stepped onto the grass and gripped the Ambrosius lance in his hands. "...Not _just_ me..." he replied.

"The Ray of Victory!" a voice shouted from somewhere nearby.

Anubismon turned earnestly towards the voice and saw the unmistakable form of UlforceVeedramon hovering in the air, the golden 'V' on his chest armour glowing brightly. An intense beam in the shape of a V burst from his chest and slammed into the ChaosPiedmon, causing the mercenary to cry out in pain as he was sent flying.

As the bright, azure light subsided, UlforceVeedramon grinned and gave them the V-sign with his hand. "Were you expecting somebody else~?" he asked playfully as he activated the Ulforce Sabre on his V-Bracelet.

"The Royal Knights!" the BlackWarGreymon growled, running at UlforceVeedramon with his Dramon Killers at the ready. "DIIIIIIEEEE!"

"Final Elysian!" a third voice shouted from above.

Anubismon looked up to see Dukemon flying through the air as he stood on top of his large, red, dragon steed, Zero ARMS: Grani. Dukemon's Aegis shield glowed brightly before releasing a pillar of holy light that came crashing down on the BlackWarGreymon before he could get anywhere near UlforceVeedramon.

"Did you think we'd let you get away with this in our own backyard?" Dukemon asked them as Grani circled around.

Anubismon snarled angrily at his luck and the entire situation. "Attack! Defeat them! Take these three down!"

"I think you'll find there's more than just three of us," Dukemon explained with a grin.

"Bifröst!" a deep voice, accompanied by a rapid, horse-like gallop, bellowed from behind them. The ChaosWarGreymon spun around only to find a hail of arrows coming at him at lightning fast speeds. In that brief, vulnerable second, he expected to be pierced full of holes. However, each arrow grazed him, cutting across the scales at his elbows, knees and ankles.

The ChaosWarGreymon snarled, feeling a numb pain where he had been hit, but not much else. "What the hell kind of aim was tha- Hey!" He looked down at his wounds and saw that ice was beginning to emerge from of them. A thick layer of ice froze the dripping blood and hardened around his ankles, knees, and elbows, freezing his joints in place. "D-Damn it. What is this?!" he demanded, unable to move his limbs.

It only took a few seconds for gravity to weigh him down and force the mercenary to fall on his back. Soon, the crossbow-wielding Sleipmon galloped over and appeared in his vision. The last thing the ChaosWarGreymon saw before the darkness of unconsciousness was a hoof flying towards his face.

Anubismon looked around himself in troubled disbelief. There were four Royal Knights here before he could even react. In the distance, he could see the silhouettes of Dynasmon, RhodoKnightmon, Craniamon, Duftmon, and Magnamon all quickly approaching in a tactical formation. He knew it wouldn't be long until they descended on the flustered group as well. "No..." he whispered.

"Pendragon's Glory!" Examon's voice called out from in front of him, snapping Anubismon out of his trance. Anubismon looked towards the dragon Royal Knight and saw the Ambrosius aimed straight at him. He saw the lance's muzzle flash with energy and all he could do was inhale sharply as the laser burst from the Ambrosius and shot towards him.

"BRO!" BlackMetalGarurumon shouted, lunging through the air and tackling Anubismon out of the way. The laser grazed BlackMetalGarurumon, searing into the armour at the back of his neck, but the cyborg wolf managed to spare Anubismon from getting shot in the head. The black digimon winced in pain and landed on the ground on top of Anubismon, standing over him protectively.

BlackMetalGarurumon turned towards Examon with a snarl, his red eyes glowing with anger. "Nobody does that to my brother!" he barked, hopping off Anubismon and walking towards Examon. "I'm going to freeze your wings and then blow them to bits for that! Metal Howling!"

The missile ports on MetalGarurumon's front legs opened up and sent a storm of missiles flying towards Examon at an incredibly short range for a missile attack.

Examon backed up and aimed his lance at them, preparing to shoot the explosive shells down as his wing moved to create a shield in front of him.

"Final Elysian!" Dukemon's voice shouted as he circled around on top of Grani. A think blast of light surged from his shield and swallowed the missiles before they could touch Examon, making them explode in a detonation of ice. Examon looked up at Dukemon in surprise. Dukemon grinned and nodded at him. Examon returned the nod.

BlackMetalGarurumon growled deeply and glared at Dukemon. "Damn interfering hero-wannabe!" he snapped, launching the six missiles from his shoulders up at Dukemon and Grani after they passed by.

"Hang on tight, Dukemon," Grani calmly said to his passenger, who nodded. Grani turned to the left sharply, angling his body so that the missiles missed them and flew harmlessly into the air. He then started to dive back towards BlackMetalGarurumon, allowing Dukemon to attack him again.

"Lightning Joust!" Dukemon shouted, sending streams of electricity towards the wolf digimon.

BlackMetalGarurumon merely ignored him, jumping out of the way of the attack and sprinting in Examon's direction.

Examon grunted and started to fly upwards, knowing that he wasn't suited for close quarters combat against high speed digimon.

"I don't think so!" the black wolf cyborg shouted. He lunged into the air and chomped down hard, digging his teeth into Examon's ankle. BlackMetalGarurumon didn't use his wings to support himself, allowing gravity to set in so that his weight would drag Examon down and also increase the pain.

Examon tried his best to suppress a garbled shout from the pain of the teeth digging into his scales and drawing blood. While rapidly flapping the Caledfwlch wings, Examon raised his other foot and began kicking his toe claws into BlackMetalGarurumon's face to try and shake him off. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't effective against a metal digimon. Instead, he aimed the Ambrosius and stabbed the lance into BlackMetalGarurumon's hind leg, past the metal layer. "Avalon's Gate!" Examon shouted, sending a shell into the leg he had stabbed. The shell exploded in a fiery blaze and forced BlackMetalGarurumon to let go of the leg and fall towards the ground.

"D-Damn...! Garuru Tomahawk!" he shouted, firing a giant missile from his chest as he fell.

Examon quickly tried to brace himself and the missile exploded against him, sending ice all over his giant wing and blasting him to the ground.

As the two fought, Anubismon slowly got to his feet. Still in a bit of a daze, he looked around himself, taking everything in. Nine Royal Knights were now fighting his team of mercenaries. And they seemed to be winning. He watched as RhodoKnightmon slashed the Boltmon down with his blade-like ribbons. Dynasmon threw the Reapermon over his head, and Craniamon had his spear locked in a duel against the BlackWarGreymon.

Anubismon slowly began to frown. "This... wasn't supposed to happen..." he mumbled. "We were supposed to win..."

"No..." He clenched his fists and glared up at Dukemon, flapping his wings furiously as he rose to meet him and Grani. "I am going to _win_!" Anubismon shouted. "Amemit!"

Dukemon tensed slightly when Anubismon appeared right in front of their path, not expecting his sudden burst of vigor and determination. Anubismon released a shadowy creature from his bracelets which was sent slamming into Dukemon's chest, throwing him off of Grani.

Grani swooped down to let Dukemon land on him. Dukemon landed upright and quickly aimed his lance at Anubismon. "Lightning Joust!"

Anubismon swiftly dove down and narrowly avoided the bolts of electricity that came from the lance. He flapped his wings and watched as Dukemon and Grani circled around, charging straight for him. "Fools," he muttered. "Amemit!"

Once again, he unleashed the savage shadow creature from his body straight towards Dukemon and Grani.

"Dukemon," Grani said, watching as the black spectre swiftly closed in on them.

"Two seconds," Dukemon replied, knowing what Grani was thinking just by the way he spoke.

After two seconds Dukemon lunged off of Grani while Grani dipped down, Dukemon jumping over the Amemit and Grani diving under it. Three seconds later Dukemon landed back on Grani and the two of them charged Anubismon aggressively. Anubismon's shock and worry was written all over his face as the two closed in.

Dukemon swung his arm out and slammed his giant shield into Anubismon's face while Grani rammed into him, sending him flying.

While Anubismon was stunned by the powerful blows he managed to catch himself before he fell to the ground. "D-Damn..." he snarled. After a few seconds to allow himself to recover, Anubismon flew up in front of their path, his body cloaked with the darkness of his Amemit attack. "Take this! Amemit!"

A particularly large version of the shadow creature burst from his body and slammed into Dukemon, knocking him off Grani.

"Dukemon!" Grani shouted, suddenly diving down to catch him, but Anubismon had other plans.

"Pyramid Power!" he snarled, diving down as well while drawing a triangle with his claws. Around Grani appeared a barrier in the shape of a pyramid which the dragon crashed into, preventing him from going after Dukemon.

"Grani!" Dukemon called to him.

"I'll deal with him later," Anubismon told him, flying down towards Dukemon swiftly. "Amemit!"

The creature once against slammed into Dukemon, sending him flying faster towards the ground. Dukemon growled and righted himself, landing on his feet and skidding backwards across the grass, but still remaining in a battle stance. "Don't bother, Anubismon," Dukemon told him, raising his Gram lance and Aegis shield. "You have to know you can't win. It'll be easier for everybody if you just surrendered."

"No... Not after all this!" Anubismon replied. "Amemit!"

"Final Elysian!" Dukemon retaliated, sending his beam crashing into Anubismon's attack.

Examon growled internally at the coldness around his right wing. The armoured outside was completely coated with ice from BlackMetalGarurumon's attack. He tried to shake it off but couldn't, which rendered him confined to the ground until he could.

He knew that this wasn't a good position for him to be in, especially with BlackMetalGarurumon stalking him. All it would take is one well aimed ice attack from the digimon and Examon knew he could be in deep trouble.

"What's wrooonnng?" BlackMetalGarurumon asked, taunting his foe. "Oh yeah! You lizards aren't very good with the cold, _are you_? Now you know you picked the wrong guys to mess with!"

Examon narrowed his eyes, keeping Ambrosius at the ready. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the other mercenaries were defeated. Then it would be all nine of the Royal Knights against him. Examon wasn't looking for any glory in fighting him. He just wanted to make sure that the capital was safe, and the best bet was by stalling until BlackMetalGarurumon was outnumbered.

However, that plan was put into jeopardy when BlackMetalGarurumon went on the offensive again. "This is it, dragon breath! Metal Howling!"

The cyberbiotic wolf charged at Examon and all of the missile ports on his body opened. Countless amounts of missiles screeched as they launched from BlackMetalGarurumon, sending smoke flying every which way.

Examon grunted with annoyance when the smoke blocked him from seeing all of the approaching missiles. "Grrgh. Avalon's Gate!"

Examon loaded the ammunition, raised his lance and fired repeatedly into the air at any missile that he saw. The shells that he launched from the Ambrosius were special shells that he prepared and loaded precisely because he knew he would be fighting against BlackMetalGarurumon again. They were anti-air shells.

The shells exploded prematurely, scattering countless ball bearings and pieces of shrapnel into the descending missiles, allowing him to take out three or four at once. He watched as the ball bearings pierced through several shells, making them explode in bursts of liquid nitrogen and ice, but he wasn't able to hit all of them.

Several missiles descended and exploded around him sending ice biting at his scales. He hissed quietly in pain as the final missile hit in front of him, sending ice flying up, but he was able to block it with his wing.

Then there was silence... He looked around cautiously. Smoke exhaust from the missiles floated in front of him. Examon couldn't see BlackMetalGarurumon anywhere... he was blocked by the smokescreen.

"_Where is he...?_" Examon thought. The dragon knight frowned. "That's it." With a large heave, Examon swung his left wing, fanning the air in front of him strongly. The smoke started to be blown back, revealing what was behind him.

Suddenly, BlackMetalGarurumon pounced out of the receding smoke, dashing at Examon with savage anger in his face. He lunged, just as Anubismon turned around to look at him after suddenly being knocked back by Dukemon.

Examon's eyes widened, seeing BlackMetalGarurumon's teeth aimed for his neck. He took a step backwards and raised the Ambrosius, the sharp tip poised. He then stabbed the lance forwards.

Anubismon's mouth slowly gaped open as he watched Examon's lance pierce into BlackMetalGarurumon's underbelly and emerge out his back. BlackMetalGarurumon suddenly weakened in mid-air and ceased his attack. He fell on top of Examon, his weight forcing the Royal Knight to fall on his back.

Examon panted and looked at BlackMetalGarurumon, seeing that the Ambrosius was running him through, and his blood was dripping down the lance's metal shaft. He expected to see anger in BlackMetalGarurumon's face, but instead he saw what looked like sadness.

Anubismon watched, horrified. He let out a shaky breath, turning around completely from his fight with Dukemon. He took a few steps towards his wounded brother. "Black...MetalGarurumon..." he spoke with uncharacteristic emotion and sadness in his voice.

BlackMetalGarurumon slumped forwards on the lance and slowly looked over his shoulder to his distraught brother.

"Anubis...mon..."

He gave Anubismon a sad smile before bursting into data.

Anubismon let out a pained breath and stared, watching BlackMetalGarurumon's data disperse into the air. He just kept gazing at the spot where he was with sadness, pain, and disbelief.

Dukemon watched Anubismon with a grimace. He had plenty of opportunities to attack him during those painful moments, but that was something that Dukemon would never allow himself to do. It went against his morals, and he could see the Anubismon's pain.

After a few moments, Sleipmon walked over and helped Examon up. The rest of the Royal Knights began to gather, having apprehended or deleted the rest of the mercenaries. Anubismon was the only one left standing.

"...Surrender," Dukemon said to him in a sympathetic tone. "Let's end this..."

Anubismon kept his back to Dukemon. "...'Surrender'...?" he asked, his voice flat and defeated. Anubismon slowly turned around and glared at Dukemon, showing him the rage and hatred in his tear-stained eyes. "I won't surrender. But I WILL END THIS! AMEMIT!" he shouted, sending shadow after shadow at Dukemon in a mad frenzy.

Dukemon cursed and raised the Aegis, blocking each attack with the mighty shield. "Cut it out! You've lost!" he shouted as the black shadows of the Amemit tried to get past his shield.

"Stop this! Enough digimon have died today!" Sleipmon shouted to Anubismon, hoping to get him to surrender.

"You mean like my brother!" Anubismon snapped, glaring balefully at Dukemon. He continued to approach Dukemon, each attack that he threw getting more and more powerful, feeding off of his rage.

"Do you think he'd want you dying too?!" Dukemon retorted, backing up. It was clear by the way that he held the Aegis that even he was having trouble blocking each blow as the power increased.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Anubismon snapped, finally dashing forward and bashing the Aegis aside. Before Dukemon could stab with his lance, Anubismon shoved the Gram aside and aimed his hands at Dukemon's face. "Amemit!"

But before Anubismon could fire his attack at point blank range into Dukemon, Dukemon drove his foot into Anubismon's chest and sent him staggering backwards.

It was in that brief moment of calm that Dukemon noticed something.

"You're bleeding..." he said to Anubismon.

Despite his fury and sorrow, Anubismon allowed himself to look down. He didn't remember getting hit. To his surprise, there were four small holes in his fur. They looked like they had been there for several minutes, considering that there were already small streams of blood trickling down his fur to his white robes.

"But..." he murmured with stunned confusion.

"I didn't do that..." Dukemon said to himself, confused and disheartened.

Examon's stared at the two. "...They're from the ball bearings in my ammunition. He must have been hit when I was firing into the smoke..." he explained.

Anubismon suddenly felt the pain begin to appear now that his adrenaline was disappearing. He had wondered why his attacks just then weren't as strong as they should have been. He gave a weak frown of anger.

"Amemit..." he said weakly, firing another blast towards Dukemon, who easily blocked the much weaker blast and sighed.

After a few seconds, Anubismon fell to his knees and leaned forwards onto his hands. "Why...?" he murmured, feeling data particles slowly leave his body. Dukemon looked down and gave another sigh at the situation. Sleipmon grimaced and looked away, his eyes lingering on Examon for a moment. However, Examon looked as calm and stoic as Duftmon did.

Anubismon slowly looked up, ahead of him. Tears were running down his face to his chin, but he had a weak smile on his face, even as his data began to leave him. It was a sad grin.

"Do you know what I should have done, BlackMetalGarurumon...?" he whispered. "I should have sent the mercenaries... to attack somewhere else, while..." He trailed off.

As Anubismon's data left him in greater amounts, he spoke once more. "Br...Brother... Why did I want more...?" With those last words, the rest of his body turned into data and scattered into the air.

The Royal Knights took a moment and were silent, if not out of respect for Anubismon himself, than out of respect for the situation or just not knowing what to say.

After several seconds, Dukemon spoke up. "...Okay, Knights," he announced, with some weight and gravitas in his voice. "Let's clean up and head back. Mission accomplished..."


	8. Chapter 7: The Duke of Hazard

**Chapter 7: The Duke of Hazard**

The Royal Knights headed down the path towards their castle as they headed back from their mission in the United Dramonic Coalition. Some walked by foot while others flew by wing; whichever was easier for them at the time.

They had taken the subdued mercenaries to the dungeons in the UDC's capital city. Examon assured them that the prison was strong enough to hold them. The nine had received many thanks from the city's civilians upon doing so.

Examon looked around at the other knights as he walked. There had been a quiet, sombre atmosphere on the part of some of the knights on the trip back. Dukemon and Sleipmon had been particularly quiet.

"That wasn't so hard," UlforceVeedramon finally spoke up, wanting to break the silence as they approached the lowered drawbridge that connected the outside fields to the castle gate.

"What did you expect?" Duftmon responded coolly. "The only time things don't go smoothly is when somebody screws up." The leopard knight made it a point to gaze at Examon with the last few words.

Examon chose to ignore him. "Hopefully this will deter anybody else from attacking there for awhile," he added. He looked up at his friend, who was sitting on Grani's back, resting with his arm on a knee and his other leg hanging over the Zero ARMS' side. "Hmm, Dukemon?"

Dukemon didn't reply. It looked as if he hadn't heard Examon; he continued staring forwards like he was lost in his thoughts. Grani glanced up at Dukemon, noticing his state.

"Dukemon," Grani spoke, glancing up.

"What? Huh?" Dukemon asked, blinking. He looked at Grani and then down at Examon. "Oh, yeah..."

Before Examon could do anything else, Craniamon spoke up, folding his arms as he passed under the castle gate. "Those mercenaries were a joke. I didn't even break a sweat from that fight..."

"Really?" Dynasmon asked with a grin. "Because I can smell your BO from here," he joked, prompting a laugh from Ulforce.

"Yeah. Maybe you should ask Rhodo to help make you smell nice and pretty with that expensive deodorant he gets shipped here," Ulforce added with a laugh.

RhodoKnightmon beamed with excitement and turned to Craniamon. "Ooh, can I, Craniamon? We can have a spa day!"

"...I'll pass," Craniamon deadpanned.

"Let's just all hit the showers and then go see Doctor Duskmon, guys," Dukemon told them, still sitting on Grani as they headed through the courtyard towards the main entrance to the castle.

Duftmon raised an eyebrow. "Why do _you_ need to shower? You were on Grani the whole time," he pointed out, apathetic as to how that may have come across.

"Grani or not, I was still fighting against a crazed Anubismon," Dukemon answered with a small grin, trying not to let Duftmon get under his scales.

"_I_ wouldn't be happy if Examon stole my victory blow," Craniamon added, remembering that it was Examon who fatally wounded Anubismon even though Dukemon was fighting him.

Magnamon couldn't help but roll his eyes. "We know, Craniamon..."

Sleipmon, on the other hand, just frowned deeper, trotting quietly at the back of the group. Examon slowed his pace slightly so that he could walk beside the horse-man knight. The crimson dragon looked over at Sleipmon with a puzzled expression. "Sleipmon?"

Sleipmon glanced over at him. "...Hm?"

"Is everything okay?" Examon questioned.

The cavalier shook his head quietly. "...I was just thinking about those digimon who were deleted, I guess..."

"...Why?" Examon asked him curiously, not meaning to sound as callous as he did.

Sleipmon slowed to a stop, looking down a bit. Examon took a few steps before noticing that Sleipmon wasn't beside him anymore, prompting him to turn around to look at the centaur knight.

"...When we first met, you told me that you hated the idea of digimon killing digimon too, Examon," Sleipmon spoke, glancing up at the dragon. "Did you mean that?"

Examon raised an eyebrow. "Yes... I _do_ hate the idea of innocent digimon being killed, Sleipmon," he responded, unsure as to what Sleipmon was getting at.

"Only 'innocent' digimon?" Sleipmon asked, disheartened. "So you don't feel guilty at all for killing that BlackMetalGarurumon or Anubismon?"

Examon frowned at the question. "They were attacking my home... They hired digimon who hurt Dramon and destroyed villages. I'm sorry, but I don't feel guilty about reformatting them."

"Duftmon uses that word..." Sleipmon said, frowning. "'Reformatting' is more impersonal than 'killing'..."

Examon rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like he was upsetting Sleipmon without even knowing how he was doing it. "...Are you angry at me, Sleipmon?" he asked unsurely.

After a few moments, Sleipmon sighed. "No..." he spoke, his voice heavy. "I guess I'm just a little disappointed. I know I can't push my values on you, but I was hoping that I had found another knight who felt the same way I did. You see, I make sure to only neutralize my enemies; I don't kill them."

Examon nodded a little, remembering seeing a knocked out ChaosWarGreymon with the signs of Sleipmon's handiwork. "...Isn't that a bit impractical?" he asked.

Sleipmon smiled slightly as if it wasn't the first time he had been asked that. "A bit... but it's worth it to me. Besides, I have good aim."

"...If you don't mind me asking, why?" Examon inquired, curious as to why Sleipmon went to all the trouble.

Sleipmon gave Examon a sad smile and started walking past him. "Because life's too precious..." he replied, trotting after the other knights.

Examon frowned a bit and watched as Sleipmon went. "_But they're reformatted into digi-eggs after they're deleted..._" he thought to himself, going to follow Sleipmon inside.

* * *

><p>The Royal Knights approached the headquarters' main entrance, stopping in front of the broad, wooden doors.<p>

Grani looked up at Dukemon, who was still sitting on his back. "Could you get off now, Dukemon?"

"I, Dukemon, request that you, Grani, carry me in," Dukemon replied with a playful smirk.

Grani gave him a blank, incredulous frown. "...I will help you off, acting leader of the Royal Knights," he dryly said. Grani tilted his body so that Dukemon began to slide off his metal back.

Dukemon chuckled and jumped down, landing gracefully. "Okay, okay. Sheesh."

Duftmon folded his arms and looked at Dukemon with an unamused stare. Dukemon ignored the look and opened the doors before the Knightmon guards could get to them. Grani and the other knights followed him into the long, stone hallway.

Examon quickly made his way to one of the two sides of Dukemon that wasn't taken by Grani. The last thing he wanted was his tail getting jammed in the closing doors again. He turned to look at Dukemon. "So, Dukemon-"

"Okay, Knights," Dukemon suddenly started, cutting Examon off despite hearing the dragon speak. "With that Anubismon and BlackMetalGarurumon gone, we need to decide what to do with their stuff, namely their position, castle and their riches. They don't have any family, and even if they did, those two were criminals, so... We should appoint a new mayor that we trust, give them the castle, and redistribute whatever riches the two had."

Duftmon suddenly increased his stride and walked up beside Dukemon, getting in between him and Examon. "Are you sure that you're qualified to make that decision, Dukemon?" the leopard knight asked, frowning.

Grani's eyes narrowed and he cast an annoyed glare at Duftmon.

"...I'm in charge when Alphamon and Omegamon aren't available," Dukemon replied guardedly, glancing sideways at Duftmon.

"That, I know," Duftmon said, folding his arms.

Grani's gaze hardened. "Then you should also know that there's a reason why he's third-in-command," he explained in Dukemon's defence.

"Grani..." Dukemon said, trying to dissuade him. He didn't want a fight between the two.

Duftmon muttered something under his breath and slowed down, going back to walking behind them. Magnamon elbowed the brown knight's arm. "Sometimes I wonder if you're _trying_ to be a jerk..." Magnamon said to him with a frown.

"What...?" Duftmon answered in question, raising his eyebrow.

Dynasmon shook his head as the group entered the foyer. "So, showers," he said, turning and left and heading down a hallway.

"Mm. See you all in a bit," RhodoKnightmon replied, heading down a different hallway.

"Where's he headed?" Examon asked, following the Royal Knights towards the shower room.

"Rhodo showers in the spa room," Dukemon replied, glancing at Examon.

"...He doesn't strike me as the shy type," the dragon knight commented.

Dukemon grinned. "It's quite the opposite."

UlforceVeedramon laughed as well. "We make Rhodo shower separately from us because he kept checking us out and making comments. It made some of the Knights uncomfortable and embarrassed," he said, glancing at Duftmon, Craniamon, Magnamon, and Dynasmon.

"I've seen you turn pretty red too, Ulforce," Dynasmon countered.

"It's not like Duftmon showers with us anyways," Craniamon said, glancing at the leopard knight.

"Hmph..." Duftmon mumbled, folding his arms and glancing away. "Forgive me if I'd rather not shower while surrounded by naked men. And dragons."

Dynasmon smirked. "Would you if we were women?" he questioned, teasing.

"No," Duftmon answered bluntly, walking past them and continuing down the hall when they reached the entrance to the showers.

"He's so uptight..." Craniamon mused, walking into the stone room that was filled with several wooden racks and a series of metal lockers. He started by taking off his gauntlets and placing them on an armour rack. After that, he took off his chest armour, leggings, and then his bodysuit before walking into a larger room branching off from the locker room where the showers and drains were located. Examon, Magnamon, UlforceVeedramon, Sleipmon, and Dynasmon all undressed as well. They hung their armour up, walked into the other room and turned on the showers. Steam already began to fill up the tiled room.

Dukemon was in the process of taking off his cape when Grani hovered up to him. Dukemon hung his cape up and turned to him. "Grani?" he asked curiously.

"Dukemon..." Granis said, his voice low enough for the other knights not to hear without trying.

"Uh oh. I know that tone of voice," Dukemon said, grinning a little as he started unbuckling the belts around his waist. "What is it, Grani?"

Grani frowned at Dukemon as the Royal Knight removed his chest armour. "You make it sound like I'm your nagging advisor or something," he commented in response.

"I prefer to call you my 'emotionally-invested best friend who has many opinions'," Dukemon replied, smiling. "...So what do you want to say, Grani?"

Grani looked away as Dukemon removed his armoured boots and leggings. "I think you should tell Examon..."

Dukemon's smile faded. "Ah..."

"It's better he hears it from you, Dukemon," Grani explained. "Do you really think that Duftmon will paint the issue in such a positive light?"

"No, but..." Dukemon sighed. "How do I even tell him something like this?"

"You've done it before," Grani pointed out.

"With mixed reactions..." he reminded him.

"Still..." Grani sighed. "You trust him, don't you?"

Dukemon nodded. "Yeah..."

"I'm sure he trusts you too. So, it shouldn't be an issue if you tell him. If anything, it will deepen your trust with each other," the Zero ARMS said.

Dukemon frowned but nodded. "...I'll tell him when I can," he replied. Dukemon's easygoing smile returned. "Now get out of here and let me shower in peace. You pervert."

Grani rolled his eyes but smiled and flew out. "Good luck, Dukemon," he said to himself as he left.

Dukemon walked into the tiled, steam-filled room, feeling the wet floor beneath his feet. He walked over to the other knights and stood beneath a faucet, between Examon and Craniamon. The warm water hit his red scales and trickled down, the heat soothing his sore and tired muscles. A relaxed sigh escaped his mouth and he put his head under the water.

"Hey, what took you, Dukemon?" Magnamon asked, looking over as he washed himself.

"Oh, I was just talking with Grani," Dukemon answered.

"Speaking of Grani, looks like he had trouble with Anubismon's pyramid barrier attack too," UlforceVeedramon said with a chuckle. He looked over at Examon and winked. "Must be a red dragon thing, hmm, Ex-sama?"

Examon tinted slightly but gave a slight grin. "I'm just happy I wasn't the only one..." he replied, prompting a few chuckles. To his surprise, Dukemon wasn't one of the ones who cracked a grin.

Examon frowned and looked at him carefully. Dukemon was usually one of the first ones to give a laugh to a joke, but Examon noticed that he seemed different ever since the end of the mission. He wondered if Dukemon was upset for the same reason Sleipmon had been. Examon hoped not; Dukemon was his closest friend here, and he didn't want to have disappointed him too.

"Dukemon?" Examon asked him, lowly enough so only Dukemon could hear.

Dukemon blinked, snapped out of his thoughts, and quickly turned to him. "Uh, what is it, Examon?" he asked quickly, taken off guard by the dragon.

"Is something bothering you? It looks like you have something on your mind," he asked, curiously.

The question caused Dukemon's muscles to tense up. He wondered if Examon knew he was hiding something. Maybe he knew the details already. Dukemon wasn't prepared to tell Examon yet. He was planning to lead up to it, but now that Examon asked him so suddenly...

"What? No. Nothing, Examon," Dukemon replied sheepishly, too taken by surprise to tell him the truth. "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed uncharacteristically quiet today," Examon said to him.

Dukemon gave him a slight smile. "I'm just tired. Plus, I have to seem more like a leader while the others are away."

Examon nodded with a faint smile of his own and put his claw on Dukemon's shoulder. "You're doing a good job at being our leader, in my opinion..." he told him, his voice reassuring.

The smile on Dukemon's face grew wider and more sincere. "...Thank you," Dukemon replied. The crimson knight looked down and frowned. "You know... Examon-"

"Hey, Dukemon! Ex-sama! Are you two done?" UlforceVeedramon's voice called out.

Dukemon turned, looking over his shoulder, to see UlforceVeedramon walking into the locker room and wrapping a towel around his waist. The other knights had finished their showers and were drying off as well.

"Err, yeah! Coming!" Dukemon said, turning around and quickly walking over to them. "Come on, Examon. There are things to do."

Examon frowned and watched Dukemon as he walked away. "Hmm..." he hummed to himself before going to join them. "_Is_ that really it...?"

* * *

><p>Hours later, Dukemon stood in the computer room of the castle, overseeing one of MetallifeKuwagamon's scans. It was one of the many duties that he held as the Royal Knights' acting leader. Dukemon's golden-yellow eyes squinted as a bright light emitted from the giant screen in front of him.<p>

MetallifeKuwagamon typed on the keyboard rapidly, inputting digicode letters into the computer as his eyes scanned the giant-screened monitor carefully.

The computer room was aesthetically very similar to the communications room. It had a very large monitor mounted on the stone wall so that many people could see the screen. However, the computer that sat in the corner of the room was much larger than the one in the communications room, and definitely larger than any of the Knights' personal computers. It was the Royal Knights' master computer and it looked like a giant, intricate machine with countless wires running into the wall. Aside from that, there wasn't much else in the room aside from a few chairs; there weren't even any windows, as the room was located in the middle of the castle.

Magnamon stood behind them, watching as well. Instead of his usual gold digizoid armour, which he wore on the mission in the morning, Magnamon wore more leisurely clothes. He was garbed in black shorts which had a hole in the back for his tail to stick through. Along with that was a yellow t-shirt with a darker gold symbol on the front. The symbol was that of an 'M' shape, with the ends branching inwards sharply. Beneath each of the two branches was a triangle with the vertex pointing away from the branch. Both above and below the 'M' was a diamond shape. The symbol was the Crest of Miracles.

Finally, a message on the screen popped up and MetallifeKuwagamon's typing stopped. The gold, humanoid insect sighed softly and looked over his shoulder up at Dukemon.

"I've finished scanning the data map of our region of the Digital World, Dukemon, sir," he explained. "There have been no digital abnormalities or disturbances, according to our central DADAR system."

Dukemon nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "I know that detects uncharacteristic changes in data, like unnatural evolutions and massive increases or decreases in power and what have you, but what does that stand for again?"

Magnamon stepped forwards, walking up to MetallifeKuwagamon's other side. "Data Detection and Ranging," he explained. "I'm still impressed that MetallifeKuwagamon invented the system."

Dukemon smiled and looked down at the insect digimon. "Yeah. You're the unsung hero of the Royal Knights, with all the stuff you do for us."

Looking away, MetallifeKuwagamon blushed. "Not really... And I only co-invented the DADAR system. Shurimon of the Warrior Ten did a lot of the work too," he insisted.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Metallife," Magnamon said to him, smiling. He looked at both him and Dukemon. "Well, I guess that's it for now. Shall we, Dukemon?"

With a nod, Dukemon said his goodbye to MetallifeKuwagamon and walked out of the computer room into the stone corridor. Magnamon followed him out and walked beside him. They noticed that the torches on the wall sconces were now lit.

"What time is it, Magnamon?" Dukemon asked, looking at his shorter companion.

"It must be around sunset now..." Magnamon replied, frowning. "Later than I expected. Why don't we go and get something to eat? Rhodo is probably in the kitchen by now."

Dukemon was silent for a moment. He frowned weakly and maintained his swift, purposeful stride. "...You go ahead. I still have things I need to do," he answered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dukemon could see Magnamon arch an eyebrow and fold his arms. "You've been working ever since we got out of the showers. You can take a break to get something to eat, you know," Magnamon told him.

"Really, I'm okay," Dukemon said, glancing over more directly. "I'm not hungry."

Magnamon sighed and looked at him, disbelievingly. "We've all had a tiring day with that mission in the morning, before we could even eat breakfast or lunch. Don't try and tell me that your stomach hasn't been growling all day, because I've heard it," he said with a small smile.

"I'm fine..." Dukemon insisted stubbornly. His voice grew a bit sharper, him hoping that Magnamon would get the message. His eyes narrowed slightly as his irritation grew.

"Come on, Dukemon," Magnamon said, looking up at him. "You've been acting weird and I think you should take a break. Even Alphamon and Omegamon take breaks for meals when they're in charge. Or are you afraid that Duftmon will take jibes at you for not being vigilant?"

Dukemon growled and quickly turned to Magnamon in aggravation. "Damn it, Magna, I told you I'm fine!" he snapped.

Magnamon initially blinked in surprise, but soon he shrunk back and looked forwards, hurt. "...Alright. Sorry..." he murmured softly, beginning to speed up his walking pace.

Within a matter of seconds, Dukemon calmed down and guilt immediately overcame him. He grimaced and walked faster, getting in front of Magnamon and turning to face him. "Magnamon, stop..." he spoke, his voice gentle and humble. Dukemon placed his hands softly on the shorter knight's shoulders and looked down into his eyes.

"I'm sorry..." Dukemon told him, wincing in shame. "I'm... on edge today. There's a lot on my mind. I shouldn't have taken it out on you..."

Magnamon looked up at him expressionlessly. After a few moments, he gave Dukemon a small, reassuring smile, and raised his hand onto Dukemon's. "It's okay... but I want you to tell me what's wrong."

Dukemon nodded gratefully and removed his hands, going back to walking beside Magnamon, who started heading in the direction of the cafeteria. "Duftmon is partially to do with it... but only partially."

"Then what's the main reason?" Magnamon asked curiously. Dukemon frowned to himself and didn't answer, thinking to himself carefully. "You know you can trust me."

The crimson knight sighed and nodded, reluctantly conceding that he would tell Magnamon. "It's... Grani thinks I should tell Examon..." he told him.

Magnamon looked curious. "Tell Examon what?" he asked for clarification.

Dukemon frowned. "You _know_ what..." he replied, a bitter tone leaving his tongue. "The thing about me that you know, and Duftmon knows, and all the rest of the Knights know..."

The Royal Knight of Miracles looked forwards and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Oh... That..."

Dukemon looked at Magnamon out of the corners of his eyes while continuing to walk with him. "Yeah... Do you think that Duftmon or one of the others has told him yet?"

"I doubt it... Duftmon is too averted to Examon to gossip to him," Magnamon said, chuckling slightly.

With a small grin, Dukemon nodded. "Duftmon's comments haven't exactly been helping either..."

"You know how he is, Dukemon," Magnamon replied. "He's critical of everything, not just your leadership; it's sort of his job as a tactician. ...However, that doesn't exactly excuse his horrible social skills. Just ignore him."

"It's easy to say, but it's not so easy to do when he's constantly undermining you with those self-satisfied comments," Dukemon muttered.

"Just try your best. Don't give him the satisfaction of letting him get under your scales." Magnamon raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you're still in your armour? You don't want anybody thinking that you're not taking your job seriously?"

Dukemon half-shrugged. "Maybe..." Ahead of them, he saw the entrance to the cafeteria. "...About the first problem, what do you think I should do?" he asked, though not thrilled about outwardly showing uncertainty when he was supposed to be their current leader.

"I think you should tell him," Magnamon replied, walking inside the cafeteria and looking around. "And here's your chance to do it," he said, looking over at something in particular.

Dukemon looked over to see what Magnamon was looking at, and he saw Examon sitting at a table with UlforceVeedramon and Craniamon.

"You go talk to him and I'll get us both something to eat from Rhodo," Magnamon told him, walking over to the line of digimon.

With an unsure nod, Dukemon looked over to the three's table.

"..._Well... you have to tell him about yourself at some point, Dukemon..._" he thought to himself. He steeled himself and tried to build his confidence, starting to walk over to him. "_Grani's right. It will come out eventually. It might as well be from your own mouth._"

Dukemon sighed a bit, his feet dragging slightly as he neared Examon's table. It seemed to take forever to get there. He was dreading the coming conversation; he always did.

He almost winced when he saw UlforceVeedramon look up and notice him.

"Hey, Dukemon. There you are," UlforceVeedramon said, smiling from his place beside Craniamon.

Dukemon felt his heart sink a bit.

Examon, who was sitting across from UlforceVeedramon, turned and looked over his shoulder at Dukemon. "Would you like to join u-"

The dragon cut himself short. Dukemon walked right past their table, his nerves getting the better of him, and walked over and sat down at Duftmon, Dynasmon, and Sleipmon's table, which was beside theirs. Dukemon sat beside the large body of Sleipmon, shielding himself from the other table, and mentally cursed himself.

"_Damn it, Dukemon. You're supposed to be the acting leader of the Royal Knights, but you can't even face Examon?_" he thought to himself in frustration.

"Hello, Dukemon," Sleipmon greeted. "You sure have been busy today."

"Though free enough that he can sit down and have a meal, apparently..." Duftmon quipped, superiorly.

Dukemon stifled a growl, trying to maintain his cool. "...Would you rather I was starving?" he countered, glancing across the table at Duftmon. "Digimon can't think straight when they're hungry, isn't that right?"

Duftmon gave a 'hmph'. "I was merely saying. There's no need to be so defensive."

Dynasmon smiled and elbowed Duftmon. "People wouldn't need to get so defensive if you weren't so 'offensive'," he said half-jokingly.

"Dynasmon has a point," Sleipmon agreed before eating a forkful of carrots.

"Oh, please," Duftmon scoffed dismissively.

As the three Royal Knights at the table bantered and argued, Dukemon stared quietly at the empty spot on the table in front of him. Without knowing it, his hand raised and gripped the center of his armoured chest.

Before he knew it, a tray of food slid into view and rested in front of him. Dukemon blinked, feeling a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see a blue claw poking him. His gaze followed the arm to its owner: Magnamon.

Magnamon looked at him with an arched eyebrow. He leaned down towards him (which wasn't very far, given his short stature), speaking in a low voice. "Uh, Dukemon? What are you doing?" he asked quietly. "I thought you were going to tell him."

"Later..." Dukemon replied, glancing away. "I could do without the other Knights' commentary while I'm talking to him."

Magnamon looked unconvinced but he stood up straight and decided not to push the issue. "Okay..." The blue dragon man held his own tray of food and turned towards Examon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon's table, hoping to take the empty seat beside Examon. Instead, he noticed RhodoKnightmon sitting down in his place. "Rhodo! You took my seat!" he complained.

RhodoKnightmon crossed a leg over the other and turned towards Magnamon, grinning behind his helmet. "I didn't see your name on it, cutie," he teased in a sing song voice.

Magnamon growled, his eye twitching with annoyance at being called that. "I am not cute, Rhodo! For the last time!" he barked, clutching his tray of food tightly.

"Oh, but you are when you're all flustered like that," RhodoKnightmon told him. "Both you and OuRyuumon have the cutest tantrums, Magna."

The Royal Knight of Miracles blushed further. "No I... rrrgh," he cut himself off, knowing that if he rose to the teasing, he might just prove RhodoKnightmon's point. Magnamon collected himself and took on a dignified manner, turning and walking over to sit at the empty table next to Dukemon's.

RhodoKnightmon looked over at him. "You don't have to sit all the way over there, Magna. There's plenty of room on my lap," he said, using his playful tone again.

Magnamon ignored him and looked away, though blushing at the teasing. "I would rather sit here, Rhodo..."

Dukemon grinned a bit, thankful for the temporary distraction from his thoughts. He raised the visor of his helmet so that he could begin eating.

"Shouldn't you be in the kitchen, RhodoKnightmon?" Craniamon asked, looking over to him.

"Hm? Oh, no," RhodoKnightmon answered, eating with one hand and absent-mindedly twirling the end of Examon's long tail with the other hand. Apparently, he didn't know or care about the obvious discomfort on Examon's face. "I finished my cooking, but there's still enough food stocked up for the kitchen helpers to continue serving. I finally get to relax now."

"Well, at least you're not the only one relaxing," Duftmon spoke in response, giving a passing glance to Dukemon.

Dukemon stopped moving his fork mid-bite, pausing to give a Duftmon a fiery stare. After a moment, he closed his mouth around the food and swallowed it.

"So, Dukemon," UlforceVeedramon said, looking over at him from his table. "Do _you_ know where Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon went? I mean, they must have told you when they put you in command while they were gone, right?"

"Yeah, they did," Dukemon said succinctly.

"Where?"

"Sorry. I can't disclose that," he answered.

"Oh, come on," Duftmon complained. "How are _you_ privy to such information and the rest of us are not?"

Dukemon closed his eyes and placed his fork down on the tray, getting progressively more irritated by Duftmon and his condescending tone. "Because I am..."

Duftmon frowned and folded his arms. "Is that so? So much for that 'all Royal Knights are equal' rule you go around preaching all the time."

The rumbling of an emerging growl could be felt in the center of Dukemon's throat. "...What of it?"

"You're so quick to stand up and say that to me whenever you can, but now, because you think that you're in charge, you get to withhold information and give all the orders, even though you were just like us yesterday? This is a temporary promotion, mind you," Duftmon spoke, leering at Dukemon coldly and calculatingly.

Dukemon's eyes snapped open and his pupils shrunk within his gold irises. He glowered at Duftmon with a more fearsome appearance instead of his usual warm, inviting one. "We _are_ all equal," Dukemon said harshly. "There's _no such thing_ as a promotion within the Royal Knights. I'm no better than anybody here, and _neither_ are _you_, despite what you might think. The only reason I'm not telling you is because Alphamon asked me not to."

Duftmon frowned. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

The crimson knight took a calming breath, trying not to let himself get worked up. "It means that you obviously think that you can do a better job than I can. You probably think you can do a better job than Alphamon, even."

"Hmph. I never said that, but now that you mention it, you did make some basic errors."

Dukemon stood up. "Yeah. I'm sure you think so. Just because you can make some skillful tactics, you suddenly think you're better than everybody else and you can run the entire Royal Knight order! I've been a Royal Knight longer than you have and have twice the experience you do, you know," he told Duftmon, his tone calm, but some obvious anger hidden behind his words.

Duftmon's eyes narrowed piercingly at Dukemon. "Yes, and twice the temper. And not to mention the Digital-"

Dukemon snarled with rage and abruptly reached across the table. He grabbed Duftmon by the collar and dragged him over the table, causing the four trays of food to come crashing to the ground and spilling on digimons' laps. Dukemon glared into Duftmon's eyes, whose body was half on the table and half held in the air by Dukemon's clenched fist.

"I've had enough of you, Duftmon! You're an arrogant, smug, condescending, intolerant, petulant brat!" Dukemon barked, glowering face to face with the shocked leopard knight. "You've been taking shots at me and undermining my leadership all day! If you honestly think that you can do a better job, I'd like to see it! Because to be a good leader, you need to be able to trust people, and that's something that you will _never_ know how to do!"

Though shocked, Duftmon held Dukemon's wrists on reflex and gripped them firmly, staring into Dukemon's narrow eyes with his wide, green ones."Y-You..." he stammered.

Dukemon's grip on Duftmon's collar tightened and he held him closer to his face, glaring deeper.

"Dukemon!" Magnamon protested, jumping up and running over and holding Dukemon's right hand.

"Stop it!" Sleipmon agreed, grabbing Dukemon's left arm and pulling.

Sleipmon and Magnamon pulled Dukemon back while Dynasmon pulled Duftmon back across the table before a fight could break out.

Dukemon let go of Duftmon and growled, stepping back. Breathing hard, he looked around at the faces of the shocked and worried Royal Knights.

"E...Excuse me," Dukemon quickly said, grimacing with shame and pulling away from Magnamon and Sleipmon. He turned and quickly walked past the Royal Knights and whoever else might have been watching, his cape waving behind him as he left the cafeteria as quickly as he could.

Several of the knights relaxed slightly and looked around uncomfortably after the tense scene. Duftmon was visibly flustered as he stood up and tried to wipe the food and sauce from his chest, arms, and hair.

Examon frowned thoughtfully, watching as Dukemon disappeared into the corridor.

* * *

><p>The sun had set and the stars and moons appeared in the sky once again, acting as the sole providers of light for the night. In his room, Dukemon sat on the edge of his bed. Instead of his armour, he wore the white t-shirt and black pants he had worn early that morning. He was hunched over the leggings of his armour, which were on his lap. Using the glow of his computer and a torch on the wall as light, he cleaned the metal leggings with a damp cloth, trying to remove the food that spilled on them several minutes ago during his outburst at Duftmon.<p>

Dukemon scrubbed the metal earnestly, trying his best to remove all traces of muck and filth. He winced and washed harder, stubbornly when he saw another blemish. There was a scrap of food between his upper leg armour and his knee-guard that he couldn't quite reach, no matter how hard he tried. It was stuck right behind the familiar symbol engraved in the red metal...

Suddenly there was a slow, calm knocking at the door. Dukemon looked up from his work and looked over.

"...Who is it?" Dukemon asked, grimacing. He knew that somebody would come to talk to him. He guessed that it was Magnamon.

The door open and inside the room walked a large dragon, who closed the door behind him carefully.

Dukemon was a little surprised at the sight. "Examon..."

"Am I interrupting...?" Examon asked, his voice cautious.

Dukemon turned his head away from Examon and looked forward. "...If I said yes, would you leave me be?"

"Is that what you want?" Examon questioned, prepared to do just that if Dukemon wished.

"...I don't know," Dukemon said with a reluctant sigh.

Examon walked over to him. "...So I guess what I saw was that temper of yours I kept hearing about."

Silence followed. Dukemon stood up and walked to a window, leaning forwards against the stone sill and looking out into the night sky. "...Is that _all_ you've heard about me?" he finally asked, his voice grave.

Raising an eyebrow curiously, Examon took a step closer. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure the others must have been talking after I snapped at Duftmon," Dukemon said lowly, narrowing his eyes. "Or maybe you already know..."

"Know what, Dukemon?" Examon asked.

Dukemon turned around and looked at him. In Examon's eyes, he could see that the dragon was being sincere. "I guess you really don't know, do you...?"

Shaking his head, Examon sat down on Dukemon's bed and moved his wing to make room for Dukemon to sit as well. "What's going on with you, Dukemon? You've been acting weird all day. Especially ten minutes ago."

Sighing, Dukemon reluctantly took the spot beside Examon, though he looked away. "It's complicated..."

Examon's gaze softened. "Dukemon, if there's something bothering you..." he began. He exhaled through his nostrils and stalled. "Well... you've helped me with my problems before. I like to think that you trust me enough to let me help you with yours..."

He looked at Examon. "I..." he began uncertainly, frowning. "There's... something wrong with me."

"Something wrong? ...Like what? Are you sick?" Examon asked with slight concern in his tone.

"Not exactly." He reached over and took the leg armour he had been washing. With his other hand, he pointed to the symbol on the poleyn - the knee guard. "Do you know what this symbol is, Examon?"

Examon thought for a few moments but shook his head. "I have seen it around, but no..."

Dukemon sighed. "It's... the Digital Hazard symbol." He turned to look at Examon with a look of insecurity that he had never shown Examon before. "I have... the Digital Hazard."

"Digital Hazard...? What is that?"

"Basically... I'm dangerous," Dukemon explained, smiling sadly. "The safety of those around me depends on my stability. It's a curse, really."

Examon started to grow concerned, worried even. "I don't understand..."

"To have the Digital Hazard is to have the capability of extremely destructive and deadly power..." Dukemon told him, looking down. "If my balance and stability ever were to collapse... I don't know."

Dukemon looked over, out the window, into the dark night sky. "Maybe I would go on a rampage or turn into a terrible monster bent on destroying the Digital World. I would never want that in my life, but it could happen even just by accident. I constantly feel like I'm walking on eggshells..."

"D-...Dukemon..." Examon said, looking at him with shock.

"To know that my existence itself has a chance to be dangerous to others... I hate it." Dukemon grimaced. "I'm a Royal Knight. It's my job to _protect_ the Digital World. I'm devoted to defending the world, the innocent digimon in it, and my fellow Royal Knights. I took an oath to protect, yet I have this potential for destruction... Is my hotheadedness and temper because of the Digital Hazard? Or is it just my natural personality? I don't know. ...And all that isn't even the worst thing about it, if you can believe it..."

Examon was silent.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I... I wanted you to trust me first. I didn't want you getting this preconceived idea of me in your head before getting to know the real me."

"Dukemon," Examon said sharply, grabbing Dukemon's attention and prompting him to look over. Dukemon blinked when he saw Examon's firm stare.

The dragon spoke, softer this time. "You're the first friend that I've had in a very long time... From the first time we met, when you gave me the invitation to join the Royal Knights, you never questioned me, be it my personality or my appearance. You always stood up for me to those who doubted and disliked me," he explained.

Examon placed his clawed hand on Dukemon's shoulder, gripping it reassuringly. "Digital Hazard or not, you're the same Dukemon. If you think that I'd judge you because of this, you're wrong," he told him. He thought to himself. "_Besides... I can sort of relate to you, in a way._"

Dukemon stared at him disbelievingly. "Are you serious?"

Examon smiled lightly at him. "When am I not...?" he replied. "And... you're far too kind and good to ever have to worry about succumbing to the Digital Hazard. I trust you, Dukemon. It shouldn't even be an issue in your mind. Besides, all digimon have the _potential_ to be destructive or evil. You said yourself that you want to protect the world, so that should be the end of any doubt."

Dukemon's surprise turned into a big, warm and gracious smile. "I... Thank you, Examon... I mean it." He placed his hand on Examon's which was resting on his shoulder. "You don't know how much that means to me."

Examon smiled and removed his hand, shaking his head dismissively. "It's nothing you wouldn't do if the situations were reversed..." he assured him.

The crimson knight looked down and then back up at Examon. "Are you just saying this to make me feel better?"

"I meant every word, Dukemon," Examon told him honestly.

Dukemon nodded slowly. He grinned, feeling like a small weight had been lifted. "Then, thank you..."

Examon nodded.

After a few moments of silence, Dukemon stood up and gave a groan of protest. "I guess I should go apologize to Duftmon... even if he did deserve it," he grumbled.

"That should be fun..." Examon sarcastically muttered.

Dukemon chuckled. "You're telling me..."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Dukemon stood out on the balcony where he had watched the sun, leaning forwards on the parapet as he looked out into the distance. A large silhouette flew past one of the large moons, getting Dukemon's attention. The crimson knight smiled lightly when Grani swooped down and landed beside him.<p>

"Hey, Grani," he greeted.

"Hello, Dukemon," Grani replied.

"Checking up on me?" Dukemon asked, looking over with a warm grin at the red dragon.

"I hear you throttled a certain leopard in a tray full of mashed potatoes," Grani said with a chuckle.

"He was asking for it," Dukemon said, chuckling too. "And, yes, I tried apologizing, but you know how he gets all pouty and huffy when he's mad."

Grani smiled. "Let me guess, he's in his room or the library."

"Library. Nose buried in a book. That was after about an hour of washing his hair," Dukemon said, smiling.

Grani laughed and turned to face Dukemon. "So, you're in a better mood. Did you talk to Examon about the Digital Hazard?"

Dukemon nodded. "Yeah... He was actually really supportive about it. And I trust him that he was being genuine."

"I'm glad..." Grani told him. "You know, I'm sure most of the others feel the same way that Examon does."

"Yeah... maybe."

Grani smiled softly. "Well, I told you that you can trust him."

"Yeah..."

A soft silence followed. The large, draconic Zero ARMS looked forwards. "So... What's the plan for tomorrow, acting leader?"

Dukemon grinned and looked off into the distance as well.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"


	9. Chapter 8 Part 1: Adversary

**Chapter 8: Adversary (Part I)**

The low drone of an engine and an incessant, mechanical clatter, like the ticking of cogs in a machine, resounded through the dark forest. A pair of tank treads rolled over a hollow log that blocked a barely beaten trail in the wooded area, snapping the wood in two. The treads belonged to a draconic digimon with a light blue-purple scale colour. Only his upper body was like that of a dragon, as his entire lower body was a brown and green plated tank. He was armed to the teeth with machine guns, chain guns, cannons, and other armaments.

The Tankdramon looked around the shadowy woods warily. It was the middle of daylight out, but the thick canopy of the countless trees made it seem more like dusk in the forest. The branches and leaves were blocking the sunlight from hitting the forest floor. He supposed that was the reason why it was called Dusk Forest.

The Tankdramon growled to himself. He couldn't help but feel edgy as he drove through the ominous, threatening terrain. He didn't know what sort of digimon might have made their home in there. Not friendly ones, he guessed.

"I'd hate to see what this place is like at night..." he mumbled to himself. Tankdramon loaded and cocked his built-in machine guns, just in case.

The only sounds he could hear were the ones that he was creating as he traveled down the path. The silence only served to fuel his paranoia.

Tankdramon's keen eyes darted back and forth as he looked around. "This is ridiculous... I'm a well trained ultimate level digimon who can more than hold his own in a fight. What do I have to worry about? A tree attacking me? Pshht," Tankdramon told himself, chuckling slightly and trying to put himself at ease.

"Still... What kind of selfish, Numemon-brained dweeb thinks it's a good idea to send a Tankdramon on a job in the forest?" he murmured, frowning in annoyance. "There's no manoeuvrability, it's fricking dark, and I'm going to be picking leaves and twigs out of my treads for weeks!"

He gritted his teeth. "Guess it's partially my fault for taking the job in the first place. I can see why he didn't want to go himself. Still not sure what exactly it is that the guy wants me to find, though... What's he mean by 'abnormalities'? Could he be any vaguer?"

Without noticing, Tankdramon started treading off of the path and heading away from it, going in a different direction in the forest. It was so dark that he could barely see the path, let alone where it curved; anywhere that wasn't blocked by trees was good enough for him.

"It'd be easier if I could just blow all these trees down. What I wouldn't give just for a bit of light," he continued to speak, trying to fill the nervous silence with words.

Tankdramon tread over some underbrush. "Maybe just one tree, just to light things up a little bit," he spoke, stopping in his tracks and aiming his cannons.

Before he could fire, he started to feel strange. He felt a tingling sensation in his tank treads. This was especially weird to him because he wasn't supposed to feel very much in his machine parts, at least not in the actual metal.

The feeling grew and it was an odd, invigorating sensation. Tankdramon felt a new found surge of energy in his muscles, and it felt like his gears were moving twice as fast. His mind worked faster and the numb, tingling feeling washed through him. It was intoxicating.

"Wh... What's going on...? Why do I feel so weird?" he asked himself.

Tankdramon blinked in surprise and looked over his side. He saw a black crack in the ground, right underneath his tank treads. It was a skinny fissure that anybody could walk on and be none the wiser. It was thin but it was very deep.

"What... is that...?" Tankdramon asked, panting and grunting. Sweat started to run down his chest from the overwhelming sensations he felt within himself. It started to cause him discomfort. "This is... getting weird..."

Tankdramon continued to look at the crack in the ground. His body suddenly started to glow, illuminating the ground around him. Thanks to the light, he could see a dark aura rising up from inside of the crack. Shadowy tendrils rose up from the crevice and took hold of him, grabbing his limbs, cannons and treads.

"Wh-What! Hey! St-Stop!" he shouted, his fear rising. His eyes widened and his heart pumped rapidly. "Blast Gatling!"

His machine guns opened fire and he shot desperately, the muzzle flashes lighting up the forest like candles flickering in the wind. However, the shadows and darkness were unaffected, the bullets shooting through the aura harmlessly as it consumed his body.

Tankdramon let out a gasp, arching his head back as if he were sinking in water. "Stop it! Whatever this is, j-just stop!" he shouted, eyes wide as a mixture of light and darkness enveloped his body. The surge of energy within him grew and he felt stronger and stronger.

However, that didn't stop him from letting out a scream as the shadows overtook him completely.

* * *

><p><em>A day later...<em>

Craniamon stood in a grassy field within the defensive walls of the Royal Knight's headquarters. Clad in his violet, "black digizoid" armour, he held his trusty, double-sided spear, the Claiohm Solais, in his right hand. It was poised and at the ready. In his left hand, Craniamon held the large kite shield, the Avalon.

The Royal Knight watched patiently as Examon circled in the sky above, like a vulture. Without warning, Examon's voice echoed and he fired a powerful green laser from the Ambrosius lance in his claws, aiming right at Craniamon.

The pillar of energy came striking down towards Craniamon, but the violet knight grunted and raised the Avalon. "God Breath!" Craniamon responded, a barrier forming around the shield and covering him completely. The Pendragon's Glory attack that Examon fired merely hit the barrier and was deflected off. It slammed into the nearby grass instead.

"You were close that time, Examon!" a voice yelled off from the side.

Dynasmon and Magnamon watched from the side of the field. Craniamon and Examon were in the middle of a practice battle in the training grounds, using the safety program for their weaponry, of course. The training grounds were extremely wide, so whoever was using them could really let loose when practicing their attacks. It also provided lots of manoeuvrability in practice battles like the one that Craniamon and Examon were currently in.

Dynasmon uncapped his hands from his mouth and turned to Magnamon. "You're really betting on Examon?" he asked with a smile. "I mean, I'm not taking anything away from Examon, but Craniamon's the most defence oriented of the Knights. There's no way any of Examon's shots are getting past that shield."

Magnamon grinned. "Ye of little faith," he responded, folding his arms. "I'm a believer in the underdog."

"You would need to be." Dynasmon measured Magnamon's height with a hand and smirked. Magnamon rolled his eyes and went back to watching the fight.

As the barrier dissipated, Craniamon lowered his shield slightly and watched as Examon swerved in the air. He grinned behind his helmet confidently. "_You don't stand a chance, dragon... I have the upper hand here. I'm far too defended with Avalon for your long ranged attacks to hit me. The only chance you have is to get up close and fight me spear-to-spear, and, even then, I'm faster than you; you're not as manoeuvrable with those bulky, awkward wings_," Craniamon thought to himself.

Examon suddenly swooped down and dove towards the ground. Craniamon bent his legs and got ready to jump in case Examon was performing his Draconic Impact attack, but Craniamon doubted that he had enough altitude to do that with any effect.

Instead of slamming into the ground, Examon flapped his wings in wide strokes. He stopped his abrupt descent and landed gently on the ground, twenty meters away. The dragon raised his lance and took careful aim. "Avalon's Gate," he spoke. A cylindrical shell burst from the muzzle of his lance and flew towards Craniamon.

Craniamon scoffed and narrowed his eyes. "Predictable. Bad form," he muttered, lifting his double edged spear.

The Claiohm Solais shimmered in the sunlight as Craniamon raised it over his head and spun it around, giving it momentum. When the shell closed in on him, Craniamon slashed his weapon down vertically, cleaving the metal canister down the middle. The knight quickly stepped back and pulled his shield in front of himself, expecting an explosion of some sort. Instead, he heard a hissing sound.

Thick, white smoke burst from the ammunition shell and surrounded Craniamon, completely obstructing his vision. "Damn it!" Craniamon hissed, realizing Examon's plan.

Before he could let the dragon act on the plan, Craniamon jumped far back so that he was outside of the thick haze. He gripped his spear and shield more guardedly, glaring into the cloud of smoke. Then he heard a powerful flap of Examon's wings and felt a gust of wind. Examon blew the smoke upon him once again.

"You think that'll work?" he asked aloud. "End Waltz!" Craniamon started spinning the Claiohm Solais above his head rapidly. It was fast enough that electricity began to discharge from the blades.

Craniamon swung the spear while the blades were at an angle, creating a vacuum of wind and electricity around himself. The smoke started to swirl around him before being released, getting pulled away from Craniamon's surroundings so that it didn't hinder him. He was using the Claiohm Solais like a giant fan.

When the smoke was almost entirely cleared away, Craniamon gripped his spear tightly and stopped spinning it. A tendril of electricity jumped from one end of the blade to the other.

The last bit of smoke cleared away, just in time for Craniamon to see Examon charging him, his spear steady as if he was jousting. Craniamon was initially surprised, but he soon grinned, drew his weapon back, and raised the Avalon shield. His plan was clear in his mind. Examon would attack, be repelled by the Avalon's barrier, and would be completely open to Craniamon's counterattack.

Examon dashed at him, poised his lance, and thrust it at Craniamon. He gripped his spear tightly and smirked. "God Breath!"

The omnidirectional barrier burst from his shield and surrounded him. Craniamon counted the seconds down from three, but, at the back of his mind, found it strange that he didn't hear any grunt from Examon or felt any reverberations in the barrier from the impact.

After the three seconds, Craniamon moved his shield to the side and prepared for his attack. His eyes widened when he saw Examon standing in front of him, his lance aimed right for him. "_What_?!" he thought to himself in confused horror. And then he realised. Examon stopped the thrust of his lance before it could hit his barrier and be deflected.

Craniamon stubbornly moved to attack Examon, but Examon already pulled the trigger. "Pendragon's Glory."

The emerald beam exploded against Craniamon's chest and sent a surge of electricity running through him, knocking the Royal Knight flat on his back.

"And he wins!" Magnamon cheered from the side of the field.

"That's too bad," Dynasmon said, folding his arms due to losing his competition with Magnamon.

Examon exhaled and planted his lance in the ground, walking over to Craniamon. "That was a good match," he said to him. He outstretched his clawed hand to Craniamon, offering to pull him. "Looks like I beat you for once."

Grimacing, Craniamon propped himself up on his elbows and saw Examon standing over him, his hand extended. Craniamon just stared in disbelief. "_How could that lizard beat me...?_" he wondered.

After a moment of staring, Craniamon blushed in embarrassment and backhanded Examon's hand away. Examon recoiled his hand in surprise and watched Craniamon stand up on his own.

"...What's wrong?" Examon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Just leave me alone," Craniamon answered, glaring and storming past him.

Dynasmon put his hands on his hips as Craniamon approached. "Hey, I was rooting for you, you kno-"

"Out of my way," Craniamon spat, pushing through them and walking towards the other side of the training ground, which was more towards the castle.

"...Someone's in a lousy mood," Dynasmon muttered, turning to look at Magnamon.

Magnamon turned and watched Craniamon walk away. He looked on as Craniamon stood in the training ground and started performing complex spear techniques on a very durable practice dummy.

"He's going to be doing that for awhile," Magnamon said with a sigh.

Examon walked over to them, resting his lance on his shoulder. "What's his problem?" Examon asked. "Is it that big of a deal that I beat him once out of the five times he beat me?"

Dynasmon turned to Examon. "It's nothing personal. He just... doesn't really take losing very well."

"Or even just making a mistake at all," Magnamon added. "Like getting injured on a mission."

Examon frowned. He watched as Craniamon either trained with or was taking his anger out on the practice dummy; he wasn't sure which. "That's ridiculous... No digimon is perfect."

Dynasmon folded his arms and glanced at Examon. "No, but he sure is trying to be..."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Dukemon called a meeting in the war room. He gathered all eight of the present Royal Knights, not counting himself. MetallifeKuwagamon and Grani were present as well. The knights waited with baited breath.<p>

"What's this about, Dukemon?" Craniamon asked, folding his arms and looking particularly sour.

"I've gathered you here so I can debrief all of you," Dukemon responded.

"Oh, good," RhodoKnightmon said, smiling to himself. "I do enjoy seeing you guys without your briefs."

"That joke's gotten old after the thousandth time, Rhodo," UlforceVeedramon chuckled.

"Who's joking?" Rhodo replied with a wink.

Dukemon sighed, smirking faintly. "Rhodo, if you'd be so kind as to not speak for the rest of this meeting, things would go along a lot more quickly."

Duftmon stepped forwards. "For once, Dukemon, I agree with you," he said, walking up to Dukemon and hoping they could get down to business. "So, what's the situation?"

"We're not entirely sure," Dukemon admitted. When he saw Duftmon open his mouth to comment, the acting leader quickly continued. "And that's because it has to do with Dusk Forest. The tree canopies are so thick that our aerial scouts can't see what's happening below." He looked to Grani, the leader of the recon squadron, who nodded in agreement.

"Dusk Forest?" Craniamon asked.

"I haven't heard of it," Examon murmured.

Dukemon walked over to the tactics interface table in the middle of the room and pressed a few buttons on it. He brought up a vague, three dimensional representation of the map of Dusk Forest and the surrounding areas. "It's a relatively small forest between two provinces in the Free Area. It's very dark, there's no visibility from the air, and the whole forest is really sort of a mystery, even to us," Dukemon explained.

"That explains why the topographical map is next to useless for rendering it, I suppose," Duftmon said, looking at the nondescript map of the forest on the table.

"Yeah," Dukemon said. "Due to its small size and insignificance, we've never really had a reason to care about the forest before now."

"So why now?" Sleipmon questioned.

Dukemon folded his arms and turned to MetallifeKuwagamon. "Want to tell us what you've found?"

MetallifeKuwagamon nodded and rubbed the back of his metal neck with his hand. "Well... the data map scan was running and then the DADAR system has detected a huge increase in data taking place somewhere inside Dusk Forest."

"What sort of increase in data, Metallife?" Dynasmon asked. "Are you sure it wasn't just a random evolution?"

"No, I don't think so... The spike in data was too fast. And it took place in a region containing abnormal amounts of data. The region with the unnatural variation in data was so small - only about a meter in length - that even the sharpest eyed digimon would overlook it unless the map was zoomed in. That's the strange part."

"That's not all, correct?" Duftmon asked.

Grani floated forwards. "One of my scouts heard something when he was patrolling near the village closest to Dusk Forest. Apparently a few digimon have disappeared inside the forest recently. There have also been strange noises and flashes coming from the forest as well," the Zero ARMS explained.

"Ooowoo... Do you think it's haunted by Phantomon and Bakemon?" UlforceVeedramon joked.

"We think it's more likely that somebody digivolved unnaturally and isn't handling their new evolution very well," Dukemon explained. "I want two of you to go investigate."

Craniamon stepped forwards. "I'll go," he said, his voice not leaving any room for disagreement.

RhodoKnightmon put his hands on his hips. "Why don't we send a squad of our forces to go instead?" he asked, feeling rather lazy at the moment.

"Because we don't know what we're up against," Dukemon replied. "We don't have any intel or recon on anything inside Dusk Forest. If it really is an evil or out-of-control digimon, then I don't want to risk any of their lives. I want the best to be there."

"And that's why I'm going," Craniamon insisted, folding his arms. "And I'm going alone."

Dukemon frowned. "I said two, Craniamon," he replied. "One of the others is going with you."

"No. I'll be fine. I can take care of it by myself," the violet knight retorted firmly.

"And I say somebody's going with you, tough guy," Dukemon responded, just as stubbornly. "Examon, you go with him."

"Him?" Duftmon asked, incredulous at the idea.

Craniamon sneered. He stared with determination at the crimson Royal Knight, narrowing his gaze a bit. "Don't you trust me? Don't you think I can handle it?" he asked, not taking no for an answer.

Dukemon sighed. "Yeah, of course I do," he insisted. "What I don't trust is that forest. We don't know what we're up against and four eyes are better than two since you'll be looking for that unnatural data source as well."

"My two eyes are fine," Craniamon responded, his voice cool. He turned to look at Examon. "And I don't want or need _him_ to hold my hand."

"But that would be so cute!" RhodoKnightmon chimed in.

"Cram it, Rhodo," Craniamon replied coldly. "Look, I'm doing this mission alone. Examon would only get in the way anyways."

Before Dukemon could protest, Duftmon spoke up. "While I think Craniamon's petty, solitary, independent streak is foolish and moronic, he does make a good point that Examon would be useless in the forest. His wings in addition to the trees would make for poor manoeuvrability on his part, and the trees would block his ranged attacks."

"Then Rhodo or somebody can go with you instead," Dukemon said, his voice showing his slight, growing irritation at all the back-talk.

RhodoKnightmon sank back behind Sleipmon. "No, I believe Examon should go..." he insisted.

The dragon in question took a step forwards. "I can do more than just long-ranged and aerial bombardment," Examon responded, looking at Duftmon. "I can hold my own in a close quarters fight." He glanced over at Craniamon. "I think I have proven that today..."

Craniamon glared at Examon icily. "I don't want Rhodo or Magnamon or anybody coming. Especially not the dragon..."

Examon met Craniamon's cold glare with a cool one of his own. "This is just because I beat you in that practice duel today, isn't it?" he spoke, folding his arms. "You're really going to make things difficult for us because of your wounded pride?"

Craniamon's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists. "Oh, foolish me. It's not as if _you_ would ever jeopardize a mission because of your _personal feelings_, isn't that right, Examon?" he responded acidly, remembering back when Examon abandoned his post to help the United Dramonic Coalition. "Hypocrite."

"Enough!" Dukemon shouted, silencing the room. "We're the Royal Knights! Protectors of the Digital World! We should be focused on the task at hand and working together, not bickering over petty things," he spoke passionately.

"That's rich, considering yesterday," Duftmon muttered under his breath.

Dukemon took a deep breath. He tried his best to do what Alphamon would do if he were here... though his version was a bit fierier than Alphamon's. He looked at the knights, his eyes resting on Craniamon and Examon. "Look, you two. I know that we're all equal here, but in situations like this, the leader, which is me in this case, has the final say in the matter. And I say you two are going together."

"Despite Examon's body type?" Duftmon asked.

Dukemon nodded. "Examon says he's capable. Besides, they can take the time to sort out their issues," he said sternly. "...Well, Examon? Craniamon?"

The environment in the war room was tense. After a few moments, Examon nodded. "...Fine by me."

Craniamon sneered with grudging defeat. "...Whatever."

"Good," Dukemon said. "Now, since we don't have much information on Dusk Forest, you two will be going in there without any tactics planned. You two are going to have to think on your toes and help each other. That shouldn't be a problem for two Royal Knights, right?"

"I'll do my best, Dukemon," Examon assured him.

"I'm not babysitting the dragon," Craniamon said steadily, looking over at Examon.

"I don't expect you to," Examon replied, his voice calm.

Dukemon sighed and closed the map. "You two shouldn't have any trouble getting to the province; it's not very far. You can head out now," he said, concluding that debriefing. "And good luck."

Examon and Craniamon nodded, turning around and heading out of the war room. Craniamon looked over at his dragon partner. "I'm not picking up any of your dead weight."

Examon's brow furrowed. "I'll be fine without your help," he assured the violet Royal Knight.

Craniamon grunted. "I was thinking that exact thing myself..."

* * *

><p>After two hours of travel, Craniamon and Examon arrived outside of a village that bordered the mysterious Dusk Forest. It was a small, humble village of a hundred or so buildings of various sizes, constructed to accommodate the differing sizes of digimon. A small river and grass separated the town from the border of Dusk Forest. The huge, thick trees made most passersby feel small, and the dense canopies of the trees made the forest seem dark and ominous even from the outside looking in.<p>

The journey from the Royal Knights' headquarters to this village had been an awkward, uncomfortable one. Neither Examon nor Craniamon spoke to the other for the whole two hours. Craniamon simply walked at a brisk pace while Examon flew overhead, about thirty feet off the ground. For most, the silence would have been deafening, but both Examon and Craniamon seemed to embrace the quiet and the alone time.

It wasn't until now, when they walked up the path to the village, did Examon speak about something that been bothering him for the last twenty minutes.

"Dusk Forest is north of our headquarters. Why did you lead us all the way up to this village that's north of the forest? Wouldn't entering at the south end of the forest have been faster?" Examon asked Craniamon as he landed and started travelling on foot.

"Because the abnormality in data is much closer to the north side of the forest," Craniamon replied curtly.

"So it will be easier to investigate that site?" Examon guessed.

Craniamon nodded shortly. "That's the first priority. It'll be easier to do that from this route since it's closer and we're going into the forest essentially blind."

"Are you worried about an ambush from whatever's in there?" Examon asked.

"'Worried' isn't the word I would use," Craniamon answered, continuing down the path.

"But is it a possibility?" the dragon asked. "We do have to prepare for what we can to make up for what we can't."

Craniamon grunted. "You sound like Duftmon... While tactics and preparations are fine and I'm sure they help a little, the outcome of a battle is decided in the moment of the actual fight. The skills and instincts of a strong combatant can get the better of any strategy. That's why, when a plan falls apart, a knight needs to know how to think on their feet."

Examon sighed and rested his lance on his shoulder, letting his wings relax as he followed Craniamon. "Fair enough, but I prefer preparation to adaptation, myself..."

"You're free to wait in the village while I do the mission myself, you know," Craniamon told him, secretly hoping that he would take him up on the offer.

"...No," Examon replied, answering as Craniamon expected he would. "And you didn't answer my question. Can we expect an ambush?"

Craniamon glanced over his shoulder at the dragon digimon. "I doubt that, if Dukemon's right about a digimon going wild from an evolution. Digimon like that are impulsive and unstable; they're not about to lay any clever strategies or traps while they're completely out of control."

Examon slowly looked away. "I suppose you're right about that..." he spoke softly.

The silence ensued, lasting for about a minute until the duo reached the village. They walked under an aged, cracked, wooden arch that served as the official western entrance to the village. As they entered, the two digimon caught some stares and incited some excited mumbles and whispers between the village's residences. Digimon started to emerge from their homes to gawk at the prestigious-looking outsiders.

A short, blue dragon with small, red wings and horns walked up to Craniamon and Examon curiously. "Excuse me. Are you Royal Knights...?" he questioned, asking what most of the digimon there were thinking.

"Yes," Craniamon replied, looking down at the Dracomon. "We're here to investigate Dusk Forest."

Examon looked at the Dracomon lingeringly, almost as if nostalgic. After a moment, he focused again and nodded. "Does anybody know anything?"

"Just that the digimon who have gone into the forest recently haven't come out," the Dracomon replied.

Craniamon couldn't help but notice a short humanoid digimon dressed in wizard's robes. He seemed to be tugging at his collar with a finger, a concerned expression engraved on his face. Craniamon turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, you. The Wizardmon. Do you know something?" he asked.

Examon turned with surprise towards the Wizardmon, wondering why Craniamon thought that he, in particular, would know something when there were several other digimon around them.

"Well... kind of..." the Wizardmon replied meekly as he took a step back.

On the inside, Examon was surprised. Was Craniamon more observant than he gave him credit for? He walked over to the Wizardmon, following Craniamon. "Can you tell us?"

Wizardmon looked between the two Royal Knights uncertainly, obviously intimidated by the two Royal Knights standing over him, looking at him for answers. "Uh, y-yes... Well... It started when I put out an open call for mercenaries."

"Mercenaries?" Craniamon asked, frowning as he remembered the ones that they had to deal with in the United Dramonic Coaltion.

Wizardmon winced at Craniamon's reaction, knowing how it must have sounded to the knight, and quickly tried to amend his statement. "I-I don't mean 'mercenaries'. Or at least not the bad kind. I-I just mean I needed hired muscle. Or adventurers who do jobs for money. Lots of non-evil digimon do that sort of thing."

"Yes, we know. You're not on trial here," Craniamon said with narrowed eyes that made the Wizardmon feel like he was, indeed, on trial.

"Please, continue," Examon spoke.

Wizardmon nodded. "Well, so... this Tankdramon who was in the area was the first to answer the call. I told him what I needed him to do. He said he'd take the job and went into the forest. He was the first digimon who didn't come out..." he explained, looking down guiltily. "I feel terrible."

"You don't know what happened to him?" Examon asked.

"No... The same thing that happened to the other few digimon who followed in his footsteps... err, "tanksteps", I presume..." Wizardmon answered.

"What was this 'job' you wanted him to do?" Craniamon inquired.

Wizardmon looked up at Craniamon. "Oh, well, uh... It's a little hard to explain. You see, I've started doing some research on Dusk Forest. Some digimon have reported having uncharacteristic mood swings, surges of adrenaline and energy, tingling sensations, and feelings of euphoria while in the forest. I started to wonder if it was from a certain type of pollen or leaf, or if it was from the lack of sunlight entering the forest, or if it was, maybe, some sort of unnatural occurrence."

"So you hired him to investigate the forest?" Craniamon asked. When the Wizardmon nodded, the Royal Knight frowned. "Why didn't you do it yourself? If you're into researching, isn't it better to do it with your own two eyes?" he questioned.

The short mage digimon blushed and looked down. "...I'm sort of... afraid to go in there..." he confessed, pulling his wizard hat down so that his face was more covered. He felt ashamed of admitting that in the face of brave warriors like the Royal Knights.

"...I see," Craniamon answered, less than amused. He looked in the direction of the dark forest. "You said that the Tankdramon was the first digimon to disappear in there. Has there been anything weird about the forest prior to that?"

"No," Wizardmon explained. "Not aside from those feelings digimon described. But before that, digimon could safely pass from one side of the forest to the other and enter and exit it as they pleased. Now everybody's afraid to go near it and they can see flashes inside the forest every so often."

"The flashes and noises started when digimon began disappearing?" Examon asked.

Wizardmon nodded. "Yes..."

"We'll find out what's going on and take care of it," Craniamon told him. Examon nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," Wizardmon replied graciously. He then pointed to a path that lead from the village to a small bridge that spanned the river separating the town from Dusk Forest. "That path will lead you to the forest."

Examon nodded and started heading down the path, Craniamon at his side. As they started to approach the bridge, Examon looked at Craniamon. "Craniamon..." he spoke.

Craniamon looked over, questioningly. "What?"

"I know you and I aren't on the best terms, but let's put our personal feelings aside for the sake of the mission," he said.

"...That's fine with me," Craniamon replied, looking forwards, at the forest. "You stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours. It's easier that way."

Examon glanced at the purple knight. He knew Dukemon would want them to maintain a level of teamwork, but Examon was used to working alone and Craniamon seemed to prefer to do so as well. Maybe things would be easier if they just worked separately.

"Okay then..." he responded.

The two Royal Knights continued walking in silence, towards the dim and shadowy forest. They followed the path into the woods before disappearing from sight.

* * *

><p>Within Dusk Forest, a soft wind swept through the trees. The thick, luscious canopies rustled in the breeze. The leaves trembled, letting small rays of light appear within the forest for moments before disappearing again, returning the forest to a dull state of near-darkness.<p>

One ray of light shone down on a branch of a tree and was reflected off by something clear, causing it to shimmer in the dark. The light shone through the visor and hit a yellow eye. The eye narrowed until it became shrouded in darkness once again.

Standing on the branch of the tree was a tall, bipedal creature. It was clad in a dark blue armour from head to toe that allowed it to hide in the shade of the forest without even trying. Not even the clear visor on its face stood out. The wind blew again, making the digimon's red hair and strong tail waft with the wind. Four skinny, metal shafts extended behind it, one from each shoulder and hip. The rods emitted a strange, white-blue emanation, an aura that gave the appearance of wings.

The digimon jumped from the branch, causing the 'wings' to intensify before it landed on the ground. It released a decidedly male snarl and raised the giant lance that was affixed to his right arm. The back of the lance branched off in three directions, separate from the digimon's elbow. The end of the lance was adorned with a giant metal spike extending from it. On the outside of the digimon's lance arm, two decorative eyes glowed in an eerie yellow gleam, and gas or steam was expelled from the lance.

The digimon stepped backwards, seemingly morphing into the thick foliage behind him. He released another soft snarl and disappeared into the darkness completely.


	10. Chapter 8 Part 2: Adversary

**Chapter 8: Adversary (Part II)**

With every passing minute, the two Royal Knights traveled deeper and deeper into Dusk Forest. Craniamon walked at the front, glancing down at the ground every five seconds. He gripped his double-bladed spear, Claiohm Solais, tightly in his hand as he traipsed through the soft mud and soil of the forest floor.

Examon followed behind him, his lance, Ambrosius, also placed firmly in his claws, at the ready in case they were attacked.

True to its name, Dusk Forest gave the illusion of nightfall. The thick canopies, the broad, clustered branches, and the densely-packed trees all served to block out the afternoon sunlight from reaching the forest floor. This darkness made Craniamon and Examon all the more guarded. They didn't know what was in here or where it was.

Examon looked around them, past the trees, with his finely-honed eyes. The multiple pillars of thick tree trunks went farther than his eyes could see, which wasn't far due to the dark of the forest. Branches and vines dangled from the higher parts of the trees, swaying gently in the wind as the breeze blew through the canopies. Aside from those things, Examon couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary.

Dusk Forest had an earthy smell of dirt and bark, and all was silent except for the sound of their footsteps and soft breaths. Examon felt mud and twigs beneath his scaled feet and between his toe claws. He had to keep his wings folded poised back so that they pointed behind him. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Duftmon may have been right about him not being the best choice to join Craniamon. With the closely aggregated trees, his manoevrability was severely restricted, and he definitely couldn't fly. It was too late now, though, so he continued on after the violet knight.

Craniamon continued leading Examon in a specific direction. He looked down at the ground again, following two shallow, patterned furrows that were engraved in the mud and dirt. At the bottom of the crevices were flattened leaves, branches, and even logs, which had been split in three. The two grooves continued in a mostly straight line and were marked by the destruction of whatever got in their way.

"Is the trail still strong?" Examon asked, looking ahead at Craniamon. They had been following these tracks for about half an hour.

Craniamon nodded. "We're lucky that Wizardmon's hired muscle was a Tankdramon," he replied. "Since he's about as graceful as a drunken Armageddemon, his tracks are easy to follow, even in here."

Examon stepped over a log that had been snapped in half by the Tankdramon. "I see what you mean."

Another silence ensued. It was a regular occurrence now. Neither had much to say to the other unless one of them had a question.

Examon looked down at the Ambrosius and removed the magazine from the lance-rifle hybrid. He then lifted the Ambrosius up and rested it on the wing muscles protruding from his back so that he could free up his claws. He started taking rounds of ammunition out of the magazine before putting the shells back in in a different order, with a shell that was colour-coded white in the first slot.

Craniamon suddenly spoke up again. "He went off the trail," the senior Royal Knight announced, stopping.

The dragon knight removed his lance from the resting place on his wings and locked the magazine back into the Ambrosius' chamber. "He did?" he asked, walking up to Craniamon's side while locking a round into place with a deep, satisfying, metallic clicking noise.

Craniamon pointed at the ground with one of the ends of his spear. The dirt path curved to the left, but Tankdramon's tracks kept going forwards into the thick, cluttered underbrush. "It must have been too dark for him to notice that the path curved," he added.

"So do we follow his tracks or the path?" Examon questioned, looking at Craniamon.

"Considering that the Tankdramon was the first one to disappear…" Craniamon trailed off and just followed the Tankdramon's tracks deeper into the forest. Examon followed him.

The two continued walking through the foliage, following the trail of crushed plants and wood. Examon watched Craniamon as he walked. Ever since he joined the Royal Knights, Examon was never able to read Craniamon very easily. While he wasn't particularly good at reading the other Royal Knights either, or even other digimon in general, there were a lot of things that he didn't understand about Craniamon.

Superficially, the two of them seemed to have similar personalities. They were both calm and collected digimon, but that seemed to be where the similarities ended. Examon knew that they had different ways of doing things. What Examon didn't know was why Craniamon didn't seem to care for him. Was it because he was a dragon or was it something else?

"How did you know?" Craniamon suddenly said.

The draconic Royal Knight looked at him with surprise, and saw that Craniamon was still walking, not even looking over his shoulder at him. "…Know what?" he responded curiously.

"Know-"

Examon saw a flicker of white in his peripheral vision. "Hold it!" he interrupted sharply, jerking his head to the left. The bright flare vanished before Examon could even focus his eyes on it.

Craniamon immediately stopped and turned around. "What?" he asked, his weapon already poised for action.

"Over there," Examon said, pointing with the Ambrosius into the dark of the forest. "I saw a flash of white."

Frowning, Craniamon turned towards where Examon had indicated. His red eyes gazed long and hard, around the tree trunks, at the canopies overhead, everywhere in that direction. After several moments, his weapon lowered and his muscles slackened.

"It was nothing," Craniamon said with finality, turning back towards Tankdramon's tracks. "It was probably a foxfire or a wisp of data."

Examon frowned. His eyes remained on where he thought he saw the flash. "…I'm not so sure. Remember, Grani said that there were flashes within the forest. Maybe it was the abnormal data that MetallifeKuwagamon detected."

"Forget about that…" Craniamon said.

He turned to Craniamon and saw that he had stopped and was staring down at the ground. "What?" he asked curiously, walking over to him. He went up beside him and looked down to see what he was looking at.

The two broad furrows in the ground suddenly came to an end, as did the trail of crushed foliage.

"The Tankdramon's tracks stop here," Craniamon explained, crouching and digging his spear into the ground for balance.

"And that's not all," Examon said, bending down. He took something between his claws and showed it to Craniamon.

Craniamon looked at Examon's claws and saw a hollow golden cylinder. "Bullet casings," he said, looking around the immediate area and seeing countless more.

"He was shooting at something," Examon spoke, flicking the casing away. "But what?"

A deafening silence followed, lasting for several seconds.

"…Do you feel that?" Craniamon asked, looking at Examon.

Examon nodded, frowning weakly. "I feel… strange. Lightheaded, almost…" he said, feeling mild, energetic sensations in his head and body that caused him unease.

"As do I," Craniamon said, standing up again. He took a few steps backwards, away from where the tank tracks stopped. "And now it's gone…"

The crimson knight backed up to where Craniamon was as well. Sure enough, the discomforting feelings dissipated. "This was what Wizardmon was talking about," he muttered.

Craniamon nodded in agreement. "But what's causing...?" Craniamon trailed off and walked over to the end of the tracks. He knelt down, keeping himself steady with his shield, and raised an eyebrow with interest. "What do we have here?"

Examon tilted his head and walked over to Craniamon, peering over his shoulder. He looked down and saw a short but deep fissure in the ground, at the bottom of Tankdramon's tread furrow. For a crack so skinny, Examon was surprised that it could go so deep. He also noticed that there seemed to be a faint black aura emanating from inside it.

Looking at it curiously, Craniamon extended his hand and placed it within the dark aura. He felt a strong tingling sensation in his hand. After several moments, he noticed the dark data start to condense and form physical tendrils that tried to grab his hand. Craniamon quickly but calmly pulled his limb away.

"This is the data abnormality that Metallife's scan detected," Craniamon observed.

"But that's not typical data," Examon added, noticing how strange and sinister the aura looked.

Craniamon shook his head. "It's not…" he responded coolly. "That fissure is producing dark data."

"Dark data?" Examon asked. "But how does that connect to the Tankdramon who disappeared here? He was firing at _something_."

Craniamon slowly stood to his feet and turned. "Yes, but-"

As Craniamon turned around, he saw the bright, white radiance of four flares standing out against the dark backdrop of the forest. A terrible crackling sound ripped through the air and the glowing aura was blocked from view as something black surged towards them.

"Get back!" Craniamon shouted, dashing ahead of Examon and raising his shield. "God Breath!"

Energy pulsed from the Avalon and a transparent, omnidirectional barrier surrounded the two Royal Knights. They watched as a blast of dark energy slammed against the defensive field before splitting off in several directions. The strands of the dark matter tore up the ground in gusts of dirt and leaves, and ripped through trees effortlessly.

As the barrier was showered with bark, it dissipated after three seconds. By then, Examon had already aimed the Ambrosius. "Avalon's Gate!"

He fired a shell from his lance down a path that was unobstructed by trees. The round sailed to the left of where the attack came from and it exploded in a blast of light, illuminating and revealing the assailant completely.

The dark blue digimon gave a roar of protest as the bright flare irritated his eyes, which were so used to the shade of the forest. He was forced to squint and intensified his radiant wings, flying away from the light and into the darkness.

"What was that?" Craniamon asked, shielding his eyes with his shield. When the flare died down, he lowered the Avalon slightly and readied his spear.

"A Darkdramon," Examon answered knowingly, his lance also poised. "I've seen a few in the United Dramonic Coalition."

"Great. Can you tell me anything useful about them?" Craniamon asked, his eyes darting around the area rapidly, trying to see where the Darkdramon went.

"…Darkdramon is the evolved form of Tankdramon," Examon explained with a certain weight in his voice.

Craniamon's eyes widened with realization. "It's all starting to make sense…" he spoke. "Dukemon was right."

"Something's wrong, though…" Examon murmured.

"What?" Craniamon started to ask but he was interrupted by a snarl behind them.

"Dark Roar!"

Craniamon spun around and saw another blast of dark matter heading straight for them. He didn't have time to bring up another barrier with God Breath, so he made do with the Avalon itself. He held the shield sturdily in front of him and felt the attack slam against the durable metal. Craniamon held steady while the blast struggled against the Avalon, although it managed to push Craniamon back a few centimeters.

"Craniamon!" Examon called out, pointing the Ambrosius towards Darkdramon and aiming steadily.

"Don't you dare, dragon!" Craniamon called back at Examon, having to speak loudly over the sound of the energy roaring against the shield. He looked over his shoulder, fixing a meaningful glare, as tendrils of dark energy separated around the shield. "He's _my_ opponent!"

Examon lowered the Ambrosius a bit and looked at him incredulously. "What?! Don't be ridiculous!"

"Just back off," Craniamon spoke, bashing the rest of the energy away with his shield when the attack ended. The dark matter crackled and wafted in front of Craniamon for a few seconds before it dissipated. The violet knight glared coldly at the Darkdramon in front of him. "Is that all?" he taunted, rotating the Claiohm Solais in his hand a single time.

Darkdramon snarled deeply, staring back at Craniamon. He bent his head down, took a low stance, and charged at the Royal Knight. Darkdramon dashed forwards, poising the Gigastick Lance that was affixed to his right arm. Midway through his run, Darkdramon dug his foot into the ground and lunged at Craniamon at an arc. He thrust the lance with determined vigor.

The long, pointed, metal spear was met with the blunt face of Craniamon's shield. Sparks cascaded as the tip screeched across the sturdy, black metal of the Avalon. Craniamon swung his left arm out, pushing the shield to force Darkdramon's lance away from him while also creating an opening. The knight brought the Claiohm Solais over his head and swung the blade down towards Darkdramon just as quickly. To his surprise, Darkdramon darted in the direction Craniamon pushed his arm, quick enough to avoid even his wings getting grazed.

As Darkdramon dodged the vertical slice, he jumped backwards to put space between him and Craniamon. He saw that Craniamon still hadn't recovered from the previous block, so he started pumping dark energy into the Gigastick Lance. The dark matter crackled as it built up at the tip of the spear.

"Dark Roar!" he shouted, firing a blast of shadowy power at Craniamon.

Craniamon grunted as he twisted his body, swiftly spinning around and slamming the attack with the Avalon. He winced in pain as his arm was wracked from the pressure of the blow, but he managed to protect himself and block the attack. The orb split into several pieces and slammed into the ground, tearing a tree down in the process.

Steam hissed as it was expelled from vents on the lance. Darkdramon growled in frustration. His wings intensified and he started flying at Craniamon.

The Royal Knight narrowed his eyes and started spinning his spear in his right hand with deft finger-work. "Time to take him down," he muttered, twirling his Claiohm Solais at a rapid speed. "End Waltz!"

Electricity coursed from the blades and engulfed Darkdramon, stopping him in his tracks. Darkdramon roared with protest and dropped to the ground, landing on his knees when his legs buckled on impact.

Craniamon dashed towards him, holding the spear behind him as he ran, and then swung the weapon around, leveling the blade with the dark dragon. Darkdramon suddenly sprang to his feet and spun so that his back faced Craniamon. He raised his arm and blocked the Claiohm Solais with his lance. With Craniamon's attack halted, Darkdramon used the opportunity to slam his tail into Craniamon's gut. Craniamon staggered back from the blow and the serrated blade on the tip of Darkdramon's tail tore the sash that hung from his waist.

With anger, Craniamon bashed Darkdramon with the side of his shield, knocking him to the side violently. He then swung his right arm and nailed the dragon in the face with his massive gauntlet. Next he pulled his fist back and slammed the side of the Claiohm Solais' metal hilt into Darkdramon's green visor, causing him to stumble backwards several steps.

Craniamon lowered his arms and observed Darkdramon to see how he fared after the beating he received. Darkdramon was still standing upright but his arms and head were slumped forwards and he appeared to barely be able to keep on his feet. The dragon released a weak growl of pain as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

After a few moments, Craniamon stabbed the Claiohm Solais into the ground before dropping his shield as well. "This next blow will knock him out," he muttered to himself. The Royal Knight charged at Darkdramon. As he ran, he pulled his clenched fist back for a powerful knockout punch.

"Craniamon, wait!" Examon called out. "What are you doing?!"

Craniamon ignored him and reared his arm back completely as he closed in on the Darkdramon. As he swung his fist forwards, a sinister glint flickered in Darkdramon's eye behind the visor. The dark dragon suddenly became more alert and he raised the Gigastick Lance, aiming at Craniamon's chest.

"Pendragon's Glory!" Examon's voice called out.

A short beam ripped from the Ambrosius and cut across Craniamon's path, searing Darkdramon's right arm. In pain, Darkdramon roared and recoiled, pulling his lance-bearing arm back and away from Craniamon. Distracted by the beam, Craniamon stopped his punch and skidded to a stop, immediately becoming defensive when Darkdramon became so lively.

Darkdramon snarled and jumped up, slamming his foot into Craniamon's chest armour and using him like a spring board to propel himself backwards into the air. The wounded dragon's wings flared up intensely and he started to fly away quickly.

"No," Examon whispered, firing a shell at Darkdramon only for it to hit one of the many trees. Darkdramon dipped and dived around the trees with impressive flight skills, using the thick tree trunks as cover. It wasn't long until he was completely gone from sight into the shade of Dusk Forest.

Craniamon growled and swung around to face Examon. "What were you thinking?!" he demanded.

"Me?" Examon responded, sounding a little defensive.

"No, that tree behind you. Yes, you!" Craniamon spat, storming over to Examon. He got up to him and stared at him coldly. "I told you to stay out of my duel, lizard."

Examon narrowed his green eyes, locking them with Craniamon's red ones. "We're here to complete a mission, not win duels," he responded calmly. "You can do that at the training grounds at home."

"Our mission _would_ be complete right now if you hadn't stuck your big snout in and screwed up my attack," Craniamon told him icily. "And now the Darkdramon escaped."

"He was getting ready to stab you while feigning defeat. If you hadn't recklessly rushed him without your equipment, I wouldn't have needed to," Examon countered. "Knowing your impossible pride, I don't expect any gratitude."

"There's nothing to be grateful _for_. Do you honestly think that he could have taken down a Royal Knight?" Craniamon asked him.

Examon looked in the direction the Darkdramon escaped to. "…You're underestimating him."

"_You're_ underestimating _me_," Craniamon said tersely, turning around. He glanced over his shoulder. "And when I say 'stay out my duel' I _mean_ in it." The knight started to walk towards his spear and shield.

"That seems to be all you care about... Being a perfect warrior," Examon spoke after him. "Our missions are just secondary to that, aren't they?"

Craniamon stopped in his tracks. "...The fact that I'm even working with you proves how much I care about this mission," he said, not looking behind him to make eye contact with Examon. "But I do _not_ need your help. You're only getting in the way, like I suspected you would."

Examon merely grunted. "...Let's get moving. He already has a large lead on us," he said, walking in the direction Darkdramon fled.

"Fine," Craniamon complied, picking up his equipment and walking as well.

So then the two Royal Knights walked further into the forest in silence.

* * *

><p>Half an hour passed and the duo still hadn't seen either scale or hair of Darkdramon. It was too easy for him to blend in with the surroundings as long as he didn't activate his wings.<p>

Examon and Craniamon trudged through a patch of muck before getting back to solid dirt. Craniamon looked down at his muddy, black digizoid boots with annoyance. He then went back to looking around.

"See anything?" he asked Examon, though sounding like he'd rather be anywhere else at that moment.

"Nothing," Examon responded, looking around warily. "You?"

"No," Craniamon replied. After a few more moments of silence, he sighed. Things were tense enough as they were without this rivalry, and they said they would act professionally with one another, so Craniamon attempted to make an effort. "...So this Tankdramon guy stumbled across that dark data-producing fissure and digivolved to Darkdramon."

"It looks that way," the crimson dragon answered. "Except he's not a crazed, rampant digimon like we thought... He seems... smarter. Like he still has his wits about him. He's tactical when he fights."

"He did seem savvier than a rampant evolution," Craniamon admitted. "But he's still attacking us for no reason, and it sounds like that Tankdramon wouldn't have done that."

"We'll have to report this to someone more knowledgable," Examon said.

"...We can assume that Darkdramon was probably responsible for the other digimon disappearing," the violet knight added.

"So how do we deal with him?" Examon asked the more senior Royal Knight.

Craniamon glanced at Examon. "Protocol for dealing with rampant digimon is to incapacitate them only unless absolutely necessary. We don't want to kill them for something that's not their fault, but we can't have them killing other digimon while on a rampage either. We need to knock him down to his regular Tankdramon form where he'll be more stable."

Examon nodded. He slowly looked at Craniamon. "...What did you mean before? Before Darkdramon attacked us, when you asked 'how did you know?'"

"It's nothing..." Craniamon replied. After a few moments of silence, he could tell that Examon was still looking at him. He sighed. "In our training battle this morning, how did you know to stop that lance thrust before I used God Breath? Is my technique that predictable?" he couldn't help but ask him.

Examon thought about his answer for several seconds. It would be gratifying to tell him that it was predictable, with the way Craniamon had been acting for much of the trip.

"...No," Examon finally said, opting to be honest instead. He was never one to ruffle somebody's feathers for the sake of it anyways. "I knew to stop because... it made the most sense, in that moment, for you to bring up your barrier as I stabbed."

"I see..." Craniamon answered thoughtfully.

"Dark Roar!" a voice roared out from behind them. Examon jerked his head to the side and looked over his shoulder. He saw the familiar glow of Darkdramon's wings along with the strong flicker of dark matter coursing towards them.

"Craniamon!" Examon called to him, running over to the knight as his sentient Caledfwlch wings went into action. The blast of black energy slammed into Examon's back as his right wing stretched out to shield Craniamon.

Despite the fact that his wings where protected by chrome digizoid, the orb split on impact with Examon's wing and a strand of dark matter ripped across the upper part of Examon's right leg, cutting into the scales. He let out a snarl of pain and forced himself to keep his leg from buckling under the searing wound.

Though initially shocked, Craniamon soon sneered and moved around Examon's large form, spinning his spear rapidly. "End Waltz!" he shouted, slashing the blade diagonally. A shockwave ripped through the air and collided with Darkdramon, blasting him backwards with such intensity that he was forced to retreat to the shadows.

The Royal Knight eyed the darkness for a few moments before turning back to Examon, inspecting him. There was a large but relatively shallow gash at the back of Examon's leg. Blood trickled down, mixing with the red of Examon's scales.

Examon's leg started to give way, but Craniamon hurried over and caught him, slinging Examon's winged arm over his shoulders to help him stand. "It's not safe for us here," Craniamon told him calmly, supporting him and holding him up. "We need to get somewhere where we have an advantage."

He started to walk quickly, helping Examon along at the same pace as him. "You can keep up?" he asked Examon, not looking at him.

Although wincing, Examon nodded and kept pace with him, dragging the Ambrosius in his free hand. He would have felt better if Craniamon didn't have to keep his spear against him as they walked, but he knew it couldn't be helped.

They walked for several minutes in silence. Examon did his best to ignore the sharp pain that came withe every second step. Hearing Examon's pained breaths, Craniamon glanced over at him. "I don't have any way to bandage the wound," he explained. "You should go back to the town for medical treatment."

Examon shook his head slowly. "I'm fine... It's not that bad," he responded.

Craniamon looked ahead of them, making sure that he was alert in case they were ambushed again. "Suit yourself..." he answered.

The dragon knight looked around at the surroundings as well, though he couldn't help but look over at Craniamon for a moment. "...I thought you said that you wouldn't carry my dead weight," he spoke, a bit of levity in his growly voice.

Craniamon looked away from Examon sheepishly. "...Rule three of the Royal Knights' Code. A Royal Knight never leaves another Royal Knight in his time of need," he explained, though still not making eye contact with Examon.

"I see..." Examon replied.

"There's light ahead," Craniamon said, thankful for the change of subject. Ahead of them they could see light emanating from behind several trees, like a torch in the night. A few rays of light managed to find their way through a small opening in the forest's thick canopy.

Craniamon headed in that direction, ushering Examon with him. He manoeuvred them around trees and over thick roots and underbrush. As they grew nearer, Craniamon saw that it was a small clearing offering them much needed space and light. Countless leaves and coniferous needles cluttered the ground. The breach in the trees was only three times the length of Examon's wingspan from tip-to-tip, but it offered a welcome break to the claustrophobic clutter of the countless trees in the forest. Since Darkdramon used the forest to his advantage so well, it offered a pleasant alternative to the two Royal Knights.

"Good," Craniamon spoke, walking them into the clearing and squinting at the light that shone down from overhead. "Just as I suspected. We can get our bearings here. This is the best defensive area for us."

Examon nodded in agreement. "We have room to manoeuvre finally."

Craniamon dropped his Claiohm Solais and Avalon to the ground near the edge of the clearing. "You're still bleeding. Let's see if I can at least staunch that," Craniamon told him.

The dragon gently lowered the Ambrosius to the ground before dropping it and nodding. Craniamon walked Examon over to the center of the clearing, where there was more light. They got to the middle and stepped on a particularly dense assortment of leaves and needles covering the ground. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound from nearby.

The two Royal Knights immediately looked in that direction and were about to run back and grab their weapons, thinking that it was Darkdramon. But before they could even make a move, they felt something come up beneath them and their feet fly out from under them. A net of thick vines attached to a falling boulder surrounded them and pulled them off the ground. They Royal Knights gave a yell of surprise as the net hoisted them towards the trees.

Craniamon came crashing down on top of Examon who fell with his back against the bottom of the net. His large wings and tail bent with the folding vines and sent the two into a mess of struggling limbs. Examon growled in pain, both from the agonizing twisting of his wounded leg due to the sudden movement and from the pressure of the heavy Craniamon on top of him.

"What in Yggdrasil's name is this?!" Craniamon demanded angrily, pushing against Examon to try and get upright in the net, but finding it exceedingly difficult due to gravity and the fact that Examon's limbs were splayed everywhere.

"A trap," Examon responded with a grimace.

"I know that, fool!" Craniamon shot back furiously. The violet knight struggled and tried to pull himself out, attempting to pull the top of the net open, but found that he couldn't.

Examon gave a pained snarl as Craniamon put his full weight on his body while trying to free them. "Move off of me," Examon told him, pushing against the knight.

"I _can't_," Craniamon answered, trying his best to move in a way that he wasn't on Examon. He ended up leaning against the inside of one of Examon's wings while trying to put distance between himself and the dragon.

Examon turned his head and looked through one of the gaps in the net, seeing their weapons lying over by the grass where they left them. "Our weapons..." he murmured.

Craniamon followed his gaze and stared hopelessly out at the Claiohm Solais, the only thing he had that could cut through the vines. "D...Damn it..." he hissed, seething.

Wincing, the dragon knight looked up at the Royal Knight on top of him. "This must be Darkdramon's doing..." he told him.

"But that can't be!" Craniamon protested, squeezing one of the vines. "That wasn't a natural digivolution!"

"That doesn't necessarily mean he's mindless and out of control. He digivolved using that source of dark data but he's retained at least some sentience. He's smart enough to use guerilla tactics on us," Examon answered, starting to notice that the normally calm and collected Craniamon was anything but that.

Craniamon sneered and looked away from Examon. Even though the dragon knight was in the same situation as him, he wished that Examon couldn't see him. "No... No, no, NO!" he shouted. Craniamon slammed his arms against the sides of the net in frustration. "Damn it!"

"Craniamon?" Examon asked, looking at him with a confused frown.

"This can't be! How did we end up like this?!" he growled, his eyes filled with loathing and frustration. "We're supposed to be the Royal Knights! Not some two-bit, rookie adventurers!"

Examon raised an eyebrow. "Because we fell into this trap? It was well hidden. I'm not happy either, but everybody makes mistakes. Just relax and think about this and we'll be able to free ourselves in no time."

"We're above this," Craniamon growled, turning and staring at Examon with a hard gaze. "You don't understand."

Examon returned the look with a calm, silent one. "...You're right. I don't understand," he replied. "I don't understand why you made such a big deal this morning when I beat you in that sparring match, and I don't understand why you're making such a big deal now. If it's perfection... well, perfection is impossible, Craniamon. Nobody is perfect."

Craniamon was silent. All he did was observe the dragon below him quietly, leaving the only audible sound that of the stretched vines creaking in the wind. Finally, he spoke.

"Why did you join the Royal Knights, Examon?" Craniamon asked, looking at him earnestly.

The dragon digimon blinked in surprise, the seemingly obscure question taking him off guard. "I... joined because..." He stalled for a moment, reflecting on his answer. "I joined because I wanted to be able to to protect the Digital World and all of the good digimon in it."

After a few moments, Examon looked at him meaningfully. "When I was a Coredramon, I lived alone in the Dragon Mountains. Ever since then, I trained myself in body, mind, and skill. By the time I was a Slayerdramon, I rejoined society and lived in the capital of the United Dramonic Coalition. I decided to use my abilities to protect the area from attackers," the draconic Royal Knight elaborated. "When I received the invitation from Alphamon, I decided that I wanted to use my abilities to do the same for the whole world."

"I see..." Craniamon spoke, looking at him thoughtfully. "_I_ joined the Royal Knights because... the Royal Knights were the finest digimon around. I wanted to be one of the finest."

"One of the finest?" Examon asked.

"The Royal Knights are composed of some of the strongest digimon in the world. They're the most powerful, the most magnanimous, and the most respected. I wanted to be just like them... no, I wanted to be one of them," Craniamon explained. "I jumped at the chance when given the invitation."

"You joned around the same time Ulforce did, correct?" the other knight questioned, his hand fiddling with something behind him as he did.

Craniamon nodded.

"So you joined because you wanted to be the best... Isn't that a little egotistical when the order has a higher purpose?" Examon asked him.

"Just because I have personal goals, that doesn't mean I don't care about the core principles of the Royal Knights," Craniamon retorted. "I care about helping other digimon. That's part of the reason why I respect them so much."

"And why are you mentioning all this now?"

Craniamon frowned and looked away. "It's... complex, dragon," he muttered. "In my eyes, the Royal Knights are the finest digimon around. Now that I'm one of them, I expect... a lot of myself. To do anything less than my best would be a disservice to the others."

"I see..." Examon frowned. He could understand Craniamon's thoughts. He wanted to give nothing but his best to the Royal Knights as well. "And is that why you're against me being one of the Royal Knights?"

The more senior Royal Knight sighed. "I admit being uneasy about you joining because of your species... I was the same way with Sleipmon, but he's since proved himself to me."

"I haven't proved myself yet?" Examon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Craniamon looked away silently, not giving him an answer. "...At any rate... it wasn't _you_ I was angry at this morning when I lost. It was nothing personal."

"Then who _were_ you angry at?" he asked.

The violet Royal Knight grunted. "You're a smart guy. You can figure it out," Craniamon replied dismissively, not wanting to continue the issue any longer.

Suddenly, the net burst and Examon and Craniamon fell through the bottom. Examon landed on his back and Craniamon landed on top of Examon, making the dragon groan with pain again.

Craniamon quickly pulled himself to his feet and looked up. "What in the...?" he asked in confusion.

Examon grinned softly and held up his hand, sticking one of his long, jagged claws up for Craniamon to see. "Perhaps you're glad I'm a dragon digimon now..." he told him with some lightness.

Craniamon looked at him and swiftly realized that Examon must have been cutting the vines with his claws while they were talking. Slowly, a warm smirk grew on Craniamon's face, behind his helmet. "Perhaps..." he replied. He outstretched his hand to Examon.

Examon reached up and grasped his hand. Craniamon then pulled him up with a strong heave. "Let's not mention this incident when we return home from the mission. Ulforce would have a field day," Craniamon said, glancing away sheepishly.

"Agreed..."

"Dark Roar!" a familiar voice shouted from the darkness of the surrounding forest. Examon turned abruptly and saw a crackling orb of power shooting towards them. He raised his chrome digizoid-plated wing and blocked the blast of dark matter before it could hit either Craniamon or himself. The attack pounded against his wing, but the armour held up and it was repelled.

Craniamon lunged over to their weapons, which lay in the grass. He landed on a knee and picked up the Ambrosius. "Examon!" Examon turned towards Craniamon's voice just as the knight picked up and tossed the lance to him. Examon caught it in his claws and looked at the Royal Knight. "Let's take this guy down," Craniamon told him.

Examon grinned and nodded. "We have to think on our feet in times like this, right?" he asked him, turning towards the direction the attack came from. He could see only darkness in the forest surrounding the clearing. This would be an obstacle they would have to overcome "Avalon's Gate!"

A shell ripped from the muzzle of the Ambrosius, towards the forest. The shell soon burst apart and released a multitude of ball bearings that ripped into the forest, shredding the bark on trees and suppressing Darkdramon.

"End Waltz!" Craniamon shouted, spinning his spear rapidly in front of him. A cyclone of sonic power and electricity coursed from the weapon and surged into the forest, lighting up the shadows and tearing down the obstructive trees with its power.

Darkdramon flew out into the open clearing in order to avoid the attack, not even stopping for a breath before commencing his attack. The dark dragon swooped down, his glowing, incorporeal wings stretching wide. Both he and Examon raised their lances, ready to clash with one another.

Craniamon jumped over and landed beside Examon. He wasted no time in raising the Avalon shield in front of them. "God Breath!"

Examon watched with mild surprise as the clear, spherical force field engulfed the both of them, just in time for Darkdramon to stab the Gigastick Lance.

The piked tip of Darkdramon's lance slammed against the barrier, causing a tiny ripple in it, before Darkdramon was forced back powerfully and sent staggering in reverse.

Seeing a chance for himself, Examon dashed forwards and plunged his spear at his foe. The two tips of the Ambrosius pounded against Darkdramon's armour, tearing against the blue chest plate and making a terrible screeching noise.

Darkdramon stumbled back further, but took a wild swing with his arm, like a right hook punch but using his lance. The Gigastick swiped towards Examon's head, but Examon's left wing went into action on instinct and blocked the blow for him.

As that happened, Examon leveled his lance at Darkdramon's body. "Pendragon's Glory!" The tip of the Ambrosius flashed and fired a smaller-than-usual beam into Darkdramon's chest, blowing him off of his feet.

Although in obvious pain, Darkdramon's wings burned brightly and he was able to right himself in the air. The digimon performed a backwards aerial loop and used the momentum to charge at them. "Dark Roar!" he shouted, firing an ebony blast right in front of the Royal Knights. The power exploded into the ground, kicking up dirt and leaves all around them, blocking their vision.

"Craniamon!" Examon called out, seeing Darkdramon's lance stab towards them. Examon dodged to the left and blindly returned the thrust. On the other side of the thick veil of debris, Darkdramon avoided the stab and plunged his lance towards Craniamon.

Craniamon blocked the thrust with his shield and slashed the Claiohm Solais, meeting Darkdramon's own slash after the savage dragon retracted his weapon.

"Dark Roar!" The Gigastick Lance unleashed another thick blast. It slammed into the two knights as they braced themselves, sending them skidding backwards along the dirt.

"Stubborn bastard," Craniamon muttered. "Let's end this, Examon; I have a plan."

"What is it?" Examon asked, moving closer to Craniamon so that he can hear it.

"Just make sure that you have the right shell loaded in that lance of yours," the knight replied, moving away from him.

Examon raised an eyebrow and watched as Craniamon stored the Avalon in his armour in a flash of black data. He then started spinning the Claiohm Solais over his head with both of his hands. With both hands at work, the double-ended spear revolved faster, building up more electricity at a quicker rate. It was then that Examon understood what Craniamon wanted.

The red dragon turned towards Darkdramon, who started charging at them. "Avalon's Gate!" Examon fired a shell from his lance, more to expel unwanted ammo than anything. Darkdramon used his lance to swat away the incoming shell, causing it to explode in a ball of flame. Undeterred, Darkdramon dodged around it and continued dashing at them.

Examon raised the Ambrosius and took finer aim with it. He knew this was the shell they needed. He always knew the order of the ammunition that was stored in the Ambrosius' magazine. He looked over at Craniamon, who looked back at him.

"Now!" Craniamon called to him. "End Waltz!"

Craniamon lowered the angle of his spinning spear and started unleashing electricity from the blades. The electricity surged and surrounded Darkdramon, slamming into him and stopping him dead in his tracks. The dark dragon let out a roar as the electricity coursed through his muscles and circuits, holding him in place.

"Avalon's Gate!" Examon chimed in, firing the shell from his weapon. The ammunition sailed through the air before slamming into Darkdramon's chest, releasing a powerful electrical current.

Darkdramon roared in pain as the dual electrical attacks surged into him. He fired a last ditch Dark Roar attack into the ground in front of him, creating a small and ineffectual explosion. It wasn't until after the dirt and leaves that were kicked up from the blast settled could Darkdramon be seen lying on his back, unconscious.

Craniamon grabbed his spear tightly, immediately stopping it from spinning. He and Examon walked over to the downed Darkdramon to inspect him. The data of Darkdramon's outer armour and scales began to blur. They broke apart into dispersed data and his whole body glowed. Darkdramon reverted back to his unconscious Tankdramon form.

Examon sighed with relief. "Finally."

"Agreed," Craniamon spoke, observing the large, unconscious tank-bound dragon in front of them.

"Now how do we get him back to town like this?"

* * *

><p>Over an hour later, Examon and Craniamon had returned to the village with Tankdramon in tow. After much inspection, Examon had figured out how to switch Tankdramon's gears to neutral so that Craniamon could pull him more easily. As Craniamon did that, Examon flew out of the clearing and gave Craniamon directions back to the village from overhead.<p>

It took about another thirty minutes for Tankdramon to be treated by the village healer and be woken up. Finally, he was awake, albeit very confused. The two Royal Knights, along with the Wizardmon and many other villagers stood around him.

"What...?" the Tankdramon asked groggily, rubbing his face with his claws. "I did what?!"

"You had an unnatural evolution that consumed you with darkness," Examon explained.

"And likely reformatted the digimon who entered the forest after you," Craniamon added, staring at him coldly.

The Tankdramon's eyes widened with horror and he quickly put his claws out in front of himself disarmingly. "Wh-What?! But the last thing I remember was getting grabbed by this dark stuff that came out of the ground! I didn't mean to do anything! I was just trying to do the job that _he_ gave me!" he insisted desperately, pointing at the Wizardmon. The Wizardmon gulped and backed up.

After a few moments of staring at Tankdramon, Craniamon nodded. "We know. It was beyond your control, so you won't be held accountable."

Tankdramon sighed with relief. He scratched the bridge of his snout with the claws. "Egh. I can't believe this. I knew the bits I'd get paid would be more trouble than they're worth..." Tankdramon grumbled. He then turned to Wizardmon. "I still get paid, right?"

"...Sure," the Wizardmon replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He felt sort of bad for the Tankdramon, even though it was the Royal Knights, not him, who told him all about the fissure in the ground. Plus, he was a little scared of him.

Examon idly prodded the bandage on his leg wound as he waited. He turned to Craniamon. "Is there anything else before we head back?" he asked.

Craniamon nodded and turned to the townspeople. "Nobody is permitted inside the forest for safety purposes," he told them. "We're going to report back to the others and then launch an official investigation into our discovery. Is that understood?"

There were nods all around.

"Then we'll keep in touch." Craniamon said. He turned to Examon and nodded. "Let's head back."

Examon nodded and the two knights started walking away from the village. Without another glance back, they passed under the arch at the edge of the edge of the town and headed onto the dirt path. They walked back in the direction of their headquarters, this time with much less tension between them than when they came.

* * *

><p>It was night by the time the two Royal Knights arrived back at the castle. Dukemon summoned them, as well as the other Royal Knights, MetallifeKuwagamon, and Grani, to the council room, which resided at the end of the great hall.<p>

The nine knights sat around the white, round table in the pristine council room, the area illuminated by torches. Although Dukemon was currently acting in Alphamon's place, he didn't dare presume to sit in Alphamon's seat – the Siege Perilous. Grani floated behind Dukemon, and MetallifeKuwagamon stood nearby.

Examon sat in his seat at the Royal Knights' official council table. It still took some getting used to sitting there. It was still a surreal feeling to him; he wondered how long it would take until it felt natural. Craniamon sat next to him, as they would be at the center of the discussion.

Dukemon looked over at the two of them. "So, Craniamon, Examon. What did you two find?" he asked.

"MetallifeKuwagamon was right about there being a small area of abnormal data in Dusk Forest," Examon replied.

Craniamon nodded curtly. "It was releasing traces of dark data," he added. "A Wizardmon in the village north of the forest said that digimon were feeling strange sensations as they passed through the forest. We can confirm that it was because they were in the proximity of the fissure."

"It was also the dark data that caused a Tankdramon to unnaturally digivolve into Darkdramon, so your predictions were mostly right," Examon said, looking at Dukemon.

"'Mostly'?" Dukemon asked.

"We discovered that, while he did digivolve unnaturally, he didn't turn into a mindless, out of control digimon from the instability of his new form. He was very aggressive and attacked good digimon, but he was intelligent and cunning," Examon said. "We wondered if that had something to do with the _way_ he evolved."

"I see..." Dukemon said, contemplative. "We'll have to look into that forest. And the Darkdramon?"

"We took him down," Craniamon replied firmly.

"The _both_ of you did?" Dukemon asked, a small grin forming on his face.

"Well, I did most of the work," Craniamon spoke, glancing over at Examon.

Examon gave a small smirk.

Dukemon smiled and stood up. "Okay, well, that should do it for tonight. Go see Duskmon and type up your mission reports when you can. Then get some rest. Sound good?"

The two knights nodded and stood up from their seats. The other knights followed suit.

Dynasmon, Duftmon, and Magnamon approached Dukemon. "Have you heard from Alphamon and the others?" Duftmon asked him.

"I haven't," Dukemon replied. "But it's only been a few days and they've gone to one of the farther provinces in the Free Area. You don't need to worry."

"That's good," Magnamon said.

Dynasmon nodded and looked over his shoulder at Examon and Craniamon as they walked out into the great hall together. "So, those two didn't kill each other, it seems like."

"I wonder what happened," Magnamon mused, looking over as well.

Dukemon grinned, satisfied that his hope was realized. "I don't know... but you can't argue with results."


	11. Chapter 9 Part 1: The Matter of Trust

**Chapter 9: The Matter of Trust (Part I)**

"Are we there yet?" a voice asked tiredly.

"No," two annoyed voices replied in unison.

OuRyuumon sighed with boredom as he walked behind Alphamon and Omegamon, who were walking in step with each other.

It was the day after they had left their castle to go investigate the rumour that KaiserGreymon had mentioned to Alphamon. The three had been travelling for nearly two days since they had left in the middle of the night before. The town was northwards, near the middle of the continent, and was close to the midpoint between the Royal Knights' and the Warrior Ten's areas of operation as a result.

The tall, gold dragon trudged along a dirt path that was flanked by long, grassy fields on both sides. The fields and road stretched far, and there wasn't much else to look at. Up ahead, off to the left of the path, there was a small river that curved to the left, but that was about it.

The warm, afternoon sun beat down on his back, particularly on his black wings which doubled as blades. These wings - the Gaiba Daimeijin - were jagged, crescent-shaped, and had a large, ornamentally-designed, hollow slot in the middle of each wing. He kept his large, fearsome scimitars - the Gairyu swords - in a custom-fitted belt around his serpentine waist, since he got tired of carrying them in his hands. Due to his small legs, he was struggling to keep up with the black and white knights ahead of him.

Omegamon looked over his shoulder at the winged serpent lagging behind them. "You know, it would go faster if you flew," the white knight advised, looking down at OuRyuumon's stubby legs.

OuRyuumon folded his arms and frowned at him. "I've been flying for the past _five hours_," he replied, a little annoyed. "My wings need a break."

"We can all take a break after another kilometer's walk," Alphamon told them while stretching the unique looking wings on his back. "Okay?"

"That sounds fine," Omegamon agreed.

"Okay," OuRyuumon replied, speeding up to jog beside Alphamon. "So why exactly are we doing the Warrior Ten's dirty work? Their headquarters is closer to this village than ours is, even if it is still inside the Free Area. It's in one of the Free Area's border provinces, right?"

Alphamon nodded. "I wanted to see for myself," he replied. "Besides, KaiserGreymon said that they were too busy and he thought that it would be a wild goose chase anyways."

"And you don't think it is?" Omegamon asked, looking over at his friend.

The black knight didn't respond initially. He wasn't entirely sure what he thought. It could be meaningless gossip for all he knew. However, he had an instinctive, weighty feeling that something wasn't right. He couldn't quite place it, which was why he was reluctant to give a response.

"I'm not sure," he finally replied. He turned his head to the side to face OuRyuumon, who had started flying again after getting fed up with trying to keep pace with the two longer-legged Royal Knights. "Besides, I thought you wanted to come."

"I did, but I didn't expect it to be so far," OuRyuumon answered, glancing back at Alphamon.

"Just be glad you have wings," Alphamon teased, glancing back at OuRyuumon's short legs. OuRyuumon huffed and gave Alphamon a light punch on the arm, prompting a chuckle from the knight.

Omegamon looked over at the two digimon thoughtfully. Silently, he looked forwards, his blue eyes gazing down the road. It was then that he saw something in the distance.

"Alphamon," he spoke, looking back at him.

Alphamon nodded, spotting it as well. They saw several figures in the distance. At the range they were at, they could only see the silhouettes of the figures.

"What is that?" OuRyuumon asked, squinting his eyes and sticking his neck out to try and get a better look. The three sped up their pace slightly to try and get closer, hoping to scope out the situation.

After a minute of speed walking and flying, they could clearly see the situation that had unfolded. There was a large, wooden wagon stopped in the middle of the dirt road. The digimon who had been pulling the wagon was a Unimon: a large, white, winged unicorn with grey wings, a yellow mane, and red, metal, horned helmet over the top half of his face.

Next to the cart, lying on the ground was a winged serpent. Although he lacked the arms and legs that OuRyuumon had, he was draconic in nature. He had blue scales all over his body except of the two red wings on his back. Around his neck he had a roughed-up mane of what looked like orange fur or feathers. Somewhat similar to the Unimon, he had a helmet-like feature on the top half of his face. It was somewhat similar to bone. Two horns of the same material protruded backwards from behind his eyes, giving a menacing appearance. However, the nervous expression on the Airdramon's face was anything but intimidating.

There were four other digimon there. They surrounded the cart as well the Unimon and Airdramon. One was a burly, bipedal lion digimon garbed in black pants and a black gakuran jacket worn over his shoulders. A stem of a plant rested in his mouth, which gave the Unimon a fearsome, toothy sneer as he held a large tanto sword against the Unimon's throat.

"Keep him down," the BanchoLeomon said, turning to a large, bug digimon who stood over the Airdramon, pinning him down.

The bug was a giant, red beetle digimon with a red exoskeleton, a fearsome set of teeth, four arms which he used to hold down the winged serpent, and a large, axe-like horn that sparked with electricity. "Got it," the red AtlurKabuterimon replied.

In the back of the wagon there were two digimon rummaging through the freight's contents. One was a short, wooden digimon shaped like the stump of a fallen tree, except he had two large arms, two smaller arms, and four roots for legs. The other was a tall, lanky, brown rabbit digimon. He was garbed in white stockings, red armour around his waist, and puffy, white armour that covered his upper body and collar. The Antylamon was much more efficient than the Woodmon at sorting through the cart's inventory due to his long arms and bulky hands. The two digimon took valuables from the cart and threw them into bags.

"Highway robbers," Omegamon murmured to the other two, who nodded.

Through the protected eye slit of his visor, the Unimon noticed the three digimon down the road. However, he made as if he hadn't noticed them, not wanting to draw the brigands' attention to them.

"Stop stealing my client's belongings," he told the BanchoLeomon with as much courage as he could muster in the face of the Mega level.

"Shut up, pony boy," the BanchoLeomon ordered. He pressed the edge of the blade harder against the Unimon's neck, forcing the winged unicorn to grimace.

Alphamon turned to OuRyuumon and pointed upwards, towards the sky. OuRyuumon drew his Gairyu scimitars from his belt and nodded. With impressive height and agility, the ryu leapt into the sky. He flapped his bladed wings and soared in a circle before shooting upwards aerobatically.

The black-armoured Royal Knight then turned to his white-armoured companion. "Omegamon, let's go greet them."

Omegamon nodded and stepped forwards, stretching his arms out and pointing his gauntlets away from both himself and Alphamon. A long, impressive, black and silver sword suddenly extended from the mouth of the Greymon head-shaped gauntlet on his left hand. Likewise, a giant, black cannon swiftly emerged from the mouth of the Garurumon head-shaped gauntlet of his right hand.

Alphamon began walking next to Omegamon. He collected a small amount of emerald energy inside his palm as they travelled down the road towards the wagon.

The AtlurKabuterimon looked up from the Airdramon, sensing something. He noticed the two knights approaching them with care. "BanchoLeomon, we have guests," he told their boss.

"Oh?" BanchoLeomon said, looking over his shoulder. He raised his furry eyebrow upon seeing Alphamon and Omegamon and suddenly became guarded, his fur bristling slightly. He frowned and gripped his tanto tighter. "Are those...?"

The Woodmon and Antylamon also stopped what they were doing and looked over from the sides of the cart. The Airdramon hostage twisted his head to the side in order to look at them as well. Suddenly, the winged serpent shouted out to them. "Help! They're robbing us and taking all of my things! Stop- AGH!" The Airdramon's pleas were interrupted with a sharp punch to his side, courtesy of the AtlurKabuterimon.

Alphamon approached them slowly and in a seemingly nonconfrontational manner. "Is this true?" he asked, looking at the BanchoLeomon and easily deducing that he was the leader.

The BanchoLeomon slowly removed the blade from the Unimon's neck and pointed it towards the two Royal Knights. "What's it to you?" he asked with hostility, glaring at them.

The Woodmon and Antylamon jumped over the right side of the wagon. The latter of the two, the tall, fearsome rabbit, transformed his forearms into axes. He stepped ahead of the Woodmon and prepared for a fight.

Alphamon stopped a few meters from the wagon and he could sense Omegamon stand next to him. He stared at the BanchoLeomon bandit hard. "I'll get to the point. We're the Royal Knights and you're in violation of the law of the land. Specifically robbery with the use of deadly abilities and unprovoked assault. Either surrender or suffer the consequences," he told him with unquestionable authority in his voice.

The BanchoLeomon stalled for a few moments before scowling and gripping his sword tightly in his hand, turning to face the two knights fully. "Eat shit, ponces!"

Alphamon looked at him carefully. "...So be it," he answered. The knight raised his left hand high into the air.

The four bandits tensed up and braced themselves, expecting him to be starting an attack of some sort. However, they were surprised when no attack came.

"The hell?" BanchoLeomon said with a mocking laugh. He spat out the twig in his mouth and gave a toothy grin to the Lord of the Empty Seat. "Is that it? Cool. Then why don't you-"

"Surprise!" a voice shouted from behind them.

OuRyuumon swooped down from the sky and landed behind the Woodmon. Before he even touched the ground, he slashed his dual scimitars vertically and split the tree stump digimon right down the middle. The Woodmon didn't have so much as a chance to react before he burst into a cloud of data. OuRyuumon then soared through the Woodmon's dispersing data and assaulted the Antylamon.

The rabbit bandit was hardly given the chance to defend himself, let alone widen his eyes at his comrade's sudden deletion. He raised his axe arms and defended against OuRyuumon's initial attack, blocking his blades and then responding with a desperate slash of his own.

OuRyuumon nimbly swerved to the side, avoiding the slash, and he twisted his long, serpentine body so that his upper body was behind the Antylamon. Just as the rabbit was turning, he savagely plunged his swords into the robber's armour and through his body. The Antylamon gave a cry of pain before joining the Woodmon in a cloud of data particles.

"What?!" BanchoLeomon demanded, his eyes widening at seeing the third attacker.

"Damnit!" the AtlurKabuterimon swore, his crackling horn now brimming with electricity. "Horn Buster!"

Omegamon promptly raised the cannon of the Garuru Arm and aimed it at the AtlurKabuterimon. "Garuru Cannon!"

The cannon exploded with a blast of blueish-white power. The Airdramon let out a cry of fear when he saw the beam sailing towards both him and the aggressive insect bandit. He shut his eyes tightly when it closed in on them, and he felt the cold bite of the blast against the scales of his underbelly. The noise of the beam passing over him drowned his scream, but, much to his surprise, he felt no pain. When the noise and the sense of cold faded, the Airdramon slowly opened his eyes. To his shock and pleasure, he was unharmed. On the opposite end, the AtlurKabuterimon who had been on top of him was nowhere to be found.

Omegamon lowered his smoking cannon and turned to Alphamon, who stepped towards the BanchoLeomon calmly.

BanchoLeomon nervously stepped back until he felt his back against the wood of the wagon. He glanced around. To his left was the Unimon and to his right was the grass off the path, leading to the rushing river. It looked like a good escape route; however, he knew that OuRyuumon was right around the corner of the wagon.

He looked back at Alphamon, who walked towards him. The Royal Knight's hand suddenly became shrouded in intense brightness as he threatened to summon his holy sword of light - the Seiken Grade Alpha. "I won't ask you again," Alphamon spoke imposingly, narrowing his eyes.

BanchoLeomon snarled and pressed his back harder against the wagon. "Damnit..." he whispered, knowing he had to get out of this somehow. Suddenly, he got an idea. He turned to the Unimon and slashed his upper front leg with his sword. A streak of red quickly formed in the Unimon's grey fur, following the wake of his blade.

Feeling the burning pain of the fresh cut, the Unimon reared up and whinnied in pain, kicking his front hooves and causing a distracting commotion. BanchoLeomon then sprinted to the right, heading off the road and onto the grass, towards the river.

"HEY!" OuRyuumon shouted, flying after him swiftly. The dragon slashed with his right sword towards the lion man digimon.

Anticipating this, BanchoLeomon threw off his gakuran jacket, which sat on his shoulders, letting it fly into OuRyuumon's sword and face.

As the OuRyuumon tried to throw the jacket out of his vision, Alphamon saw that the bandit had a chance of getting away. He charged after quick digimon, running at an impressive speed under all of his armour. A green aura built up in Alphamon's hand as he chased BanchoLeomon.

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon called out.

As a pillar of emerald power pulsed from Alphamon's hand towards his foe, BanchoLeomon lunged off of the grassy bank and dove into the river. Alphamon's beam tore a trench through the bank and ripped over the top of the river.

Luckily for BanchoLeomon, he had been underwater at the time, and was already swimming downstream as fast as he possibly could.

Omegamon ran over to the bank and aimed his cannon at the lion, who was getting further and further since he reached a point where the river curved away from the initially parallel road. "Garuru Cannon!" he spoke.

Alphamon ran up beside him and raised his hand. "Digitalize of Soul!"

The two attacks burst from the respective knights' right hands and soared into the river, creating a huge explosion of water. However, there was no indication that they hit BanchoLeomon with their attacks.

"Did you get him?! We shouldn't let him get away!" OuRyuumon said, running over.

"There's no point chasing him," Omegamon replied, lowering his cannon. "He's too far now and I doubt we'd be able to catch up."

OuRyuumon glanced at them, not completely satisfied with Omegamon's answer. "What do you think, Alphamon?" OuRyuumon asked, turning to him.

Alphamon frowned and watched the river. "As much as I'd hate to leave someone like that out there... Omegamon's right. Besides, he isn't our mission, and we can't leave that guy like that," Alphamon replied, turning towards the wounded Unimon.

OuRyuumon sighed. "Can I at least fly after him a bit while you two stay here? If I can't reach him I'll come straight back."

Alphamon complied with a glance to the dragon. "Just don't go far," he told him. "And be careful."

OuRyuumon nodded and took into the air, flying over the river.

Omegamon looked at Alphamon and then turned, walking back to the wagon. Alphamon watched OuRyuumon for a few moments before following Omegamon.

"Thank you, thank you!" the Airdramon spoke, bowing his head as Alphamon and Omegamon returned to them. "I thought those guys were gonna kill us!"

"Think nothing of it," Alphamon answered, walking over to the limping Unimon. He examined the bloody gash staining the digimon's upper right leg. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I've been better," the Unimon replied, grimacing with pain as he looked down at his leg, which he was forced to raise to take pressure off of it. A few trickles of blood dripped down from the gash all the way to his knee.

"I'll get you some water and something to bandage your wound," Alphamon told him. He turned around and started walking back towards the river.

"Thank you," he replied hoarsely.

Omegamon retracted his Grey Sword and Garuru Cannon and proceeded to remove his gauntlets. He walked over and put his hand against the wound to try to staunch the bleeding. "What happened?" he asked them as he put pressure on the gash.

The Airdramon flew over to Omegamon's side. He made a point not to look at the gory wound by looking at Omegamon's face; he didn't want to embarrass himself by passing out in front of the Royal Knight. "W-Well, I'm moving to a new town to the south of my old village. The problem is that I can't carry all of my things on my own, for obvious reasons." He nodded with his head to his two wings, noting his lack of limbs to carry anything that heavy. "So I hired Unimon here to move everything for me. We were travelling down this road when those bandits jumped out from that river bank and ambushed us," he explained. He looked at Omegamon sheepishly. "You have really good aim, by the way."

Omegamon smiled a bit. "At that close range, maybe," he said with a humble tone.

Meanwhile, Alphamon kneeled by the river and filled his canteen with water. When it was more or less filled, he pressed his left palm underneath the metal canteen. A green aura radiated weakly from his hand, heating up the metal bottle and boiling the water within to purify it. Once steam started rising from the mouth of the canteen, he dipped the bottle back into the river to cool it down again.

After placing his thumb over the mouth of the bottle, Alphamon stood up and looked down the river. He saw the familiar form of OuRyuumon flying towards him.

"Any luck?" he asked as OuRyuumon closed in and descended, although he already knew the answer.

OuRyuumon landed on the riverbank and sighed, shaking his head with disappointment. "He's gone," he replied, panting a bit.

The serpentine dragon walked over to Alphamon, a smirk growing on his face. He circled around and approached Alphamon from behind. Before Alphamon could begin to turn around, he placed his claws on Alphamon's wings, rubbing them gently. The tall OuRyuumon leaned his head over Alphamon's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "But my adrenaline's pumping. Isn't yours?" he asked, his hands slowly snaking down from Alphamon's wings to caress his sides.

"OuRyuumon, stop it," Alphamon quickly said, turning around sharply and moving his body away from OuRyuumon's claws as a result. He frowned and delivered a meaningful stare into OuRyuumon's eyes. "Not in public..."

OuRyuumon rolled his eyes and retracted his hands. "Yeah, yeah..." he responded with a flat, unamused voice. "Yggdrasil _forbid_ that somebody finds out you're attracted to guys along with girls."

Alphamon folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at OuRyuumon accusingly. "And how many digimon – not counting myself – know you're gay, exactly? Well?"

The tall, gold dragon flushed. He folded his arms as well and glanced away in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. "Y-yeah, well... Whatever," he murmured. His violet eyes returned to looking at Alphamon. "I know we 'have' to keep our relationship a secret, but I don't understand _why_. I mean, I'm not comfortable with digimon knowing I like guys, but that's a personal decision. I don't understand why _you_ can't be open about it."

"It's complicated," Alphamon answered, looking away.

"Is it?" OuRyuumon asked. "RhodoKnightmon is openly gay. Really, _really_ openly gay. But the other knights hardly care. Sure, it makes Duftmon and some of them uncomfortable when he flirts with them and stuff, but it doesn't make him any less of a knight in anybody's eyes."

"It's different for me," Alphamon told him firmly. "I'm not just a member of the Royal Knights. I'm the _leader_ of the Royal Knights. It's expected that I'm..."

"'Normal'?" OuRyuumon asked, frowning at Alphamon.

Alphamon stalled before finally giving a sigh. "In the eyes of somebody like Duftmon... yes," he answered, a slight bit of shame gracing his voice. "He already tries to undermine me every chance he gets. It would be the straw that breaks the camel's back. It's not just him either. I don't know how the other knights would react. Craniamon, Dynasmon, Examon, Sleipmon, maybe even Dukemon or Magnamon. Not to mention the rest of the members of the castle and the digimon of the continent."

"Honestly, Alphamon, who cares?" OuRyuumon asked, staring at him hard. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't be talking, but still!"

Alphamon returned OuRyuumon's stare, looking at him with a serious gaze. "Why do _you_ hide your sexuality?"

OuRyuumon blinked, taken aback by the question initially. "Because... well, I don't want people sticking their noses in my business!" he replied sharply, folding his arms.

"...And why else?" Alphamon asked knowingly. He was well aware that there was more to it than just that.

The dragon's eyes slowly looked away and he felt blood rush to his face. "...I don't want anybody making fun of me," he muttered in a barely audible voice.

"You think people will think less of you if they know..." Alphamon mused, a point hiding behind his words. "Now, imagine you're the leader and the public face of a team whose task is to protect the Digital World. Having a label is the last thing I need. The Royal Knights need to be taken seriously."

"But RhodoKnightmon-" OuRyuumon protested.

"Is RhodoKnightmon," the black armoured Royal Knight replied. "And I'm Alphamon, the Lord of the Empty Seat. I was the first one that Imperialdramon Paladin Mode came to when we founded the order. I'm the one who has to look after the other Royal Knights, settle their differences, deal with all sorts of digimon on a daily basis among other things."

"And you think that being bisexual changes that?" the dragon asked.

"Yes... Not everybody is open-minded."

OuRyuumon sneered. "I know, but being bi is just one aspect of your personality. You're still noble, brave, kind, fair, loving..." the dragon spoke, his gaze softening warmly as he looked at Alphamon. "It doesn't define you."

"Just like Examon being a dragon doesn't define him in Duftmon's eyes?" Alphamon said dryly, giving OuRyuumon a bland look. "A label's a label. Besides, that isn't the only reason... How would it look if everyone knew you and me were lovers? They'd think you received your position for that reason alone."

OuRyuumon grumbled, annoyed that he had a point. "Yeah, fine. I get it..." he muttered in response. He looked at Alphamon carefully. "And those are the only reasons?"

"Yes," Alphamon replied quickly and succinctly. He turned and started walking up the riverbank towards the grass, heading back to the Unimon with the water he promised him.

Omegamon looked over, seeing the black knight approaching. "Alphamon, you took awhile," he said, moving his hand off of the Unimon's wound.

Alphamon walked over to the wagon and looked at the bloody gash on the limping Unimon. "Sorry. OuRyuumon returned and reported what he found – or didn't find, rather," Alphamon told his friend, although not looking at Omegamon and focusing solely on pouring the water over the wound as he replied.

Omegamon nodded, having no reason not to believe him.

"So... that bandit's still out there?" the Airdramon asked nervously.

"He is, but the rest of his gang is gone. He'll be licking his wounds for awhile, and we'll see if we have him in our database whenever we return the headquarters," Alphamon told him. He reached behind himself and grabbed his cape, tearing a piece off and wrapping the blue and white fabric tightly around the Unimon's wound. "This is the best we can do, I'm afraid. Can you make it to the next town?"

"Thanks," the Unimon said, wincing slightly. He looked down at his tensed, bandaged leg and gave the ground an experimental tap to gauge the pain. He grimaced. "I can fly there, but I have to leave the wagon. I can't pull it like this..."

"What am I supposed to do now?" the Airdramon asked with worry. "I'm not strong enough to pull this thing!"

Both Alphamon and Omegamon started to think about a possible solution while OuRyuumon came walking over.

"...Unimon, are there other digimon with your job at the place you came from?" Omegamon asked, looking at the winged horse.

"Back at the town, yes," he replied, craning his head to look at Omegamon. "At Auguria, I mean."

"Auguria?" Alphamon asked, looking at him with mild surprise. "That's where we're headed."

"Lucky for us," Omegamon said while using what was left in his own water bottle to wash the blood from his hand. "We can get to the village and hire another haulier to come back here and move the wagon. Unimon, you can come with us. I'm assuming there's a physician in Auguria?"

Unimon nodded, grunting a bit as he got himself out of the harness that allowed him to pull the wagon with his whole body. "There is," he gave a slight, though somewhat pained grin. "There's a few witch doctors this time of year too."

"Witch doctors…?" Alphamon asked, raising his eyebrow with confusion.

"The Spring Festival's going on right now," he explained to the knights. "Some real characters turn up at festivals like this. Lots of show offs and attention seekers."

Omegamon sighed and looked at Alphamon, wondering if he too realized the implications of what Unimon said. "Fortune tellers and psychics too, I'm guessing."

"Allegedly," the Unimon said, flapping his red wings and pulling himself off the ground with a grunt.

"…We'll see when we get there," Alphamon said, avoiding Omegamon's look.

Omegamon nodded, although he was no longer expecting to find anything important once they arrived in Auguria. They at least had to escort the Unimon there, though.

"H-Hey!" Airdramon said, looking at them nervously. "What about me? What if that BanchoLeomon guy comes back madder than ever?!"

Before Alphamon could do anything, the white knight beside him turned to OuRyuumon. "OuRyuumon, do you mind staying here with him and his wagon?" Omegamon asked.

OuRyuumon, who was busy wiping the blood and sap from his sword onto the nearby grass, stood up and glanced over at him. "Nah. I need to rest my wings and legs anyways," he replied offhandedly.

Alphamon frowned slightly. He gave an uncertain glance at Omegamon before turning back to OuRyuumon. "And can you wash those in the river instead?" he asked, to which OuRyuumon rolled his eyes.

"I'm ready when you all are, Royal Knights, sirs," the Unimon told them, evidently not really sure how formally he was supposed to address them.

"Okay, let's get going. Lead the way, Unimon," Alphamon said, turning around and walking past the wagon. Omegamon looked at Alphamon and walked after him, trailing quietly as they followed the Unimon down the road.

* * *

><p>The two Royal Knights walked for a good thirty minutes down the path. Their Unimon guide managed to be flying alright, but they could tell he was still in pain. It was around that time that they could see the village of Auguria less than a kilometer ahead of them.<p>

It seemed like a fairly standard village from the outside. There were no noticeable landmarks, aside from the river that ran beside the left end of the small community. It was the same river that they had seen earlier, when they came across the wagon. Unfortunately for them, the town was upstream from the river, so they couldn't hope to find that BanchoLeomon bandit that escaped down it.

There were about two hundred to three hundred buildings in the town. They were all of various sizes, but none were big enough to particularly stand out against the rest of them. However, as they drew closer to Auguria, they did notice a series of colourful tents and booths off to the south and east ends of the village, as well as all sorts of decorations and stands within the village itself. The whole village seemed to give off the vibe of good cheer and celebration.

"So that's the Spring Festival?" Omegamon asked, looking up at Unimon.

"Yeah, that's it," Unimon replied, turning his head and looking around as they started to enter the festivity's area. "It doesn't really interest me personally, but maybe you'll find something you'll like."

"Perhaps…" Omegamon said thoughtfully as they started walking by the first of the tents. The whole area was bustling with smiling and rambunctious digimon all of whom were enjoying the fun.

There seemed to be plenty of food stands and festival games set up all around the area. There were several tents of various varieties, including palm reading and fortunetelling. Omegamon couldn't help but become further suspicious about the credibility of this rumour.

He also noticed things like a wrestling competition, an archery competition, ring tossing and ball throwing games and the like. There were many other attractions like a kissing booth and he saw the draconic form of an Imperialdramon Dragon Mode who was flying around both kids and some adult digimon for exciting, airborne rides. Omegamon also noticed that there was a large tub of water with a plank over it which was set up as a dunk tank. He dreaded what OuRyuumon would do when he arrived there. "_If that dragon signs me up for either the kissing booth or the dunk tank, I might just have to stretch out his body and use it for a noose_," he thought with a worried grimace.

They continued walking past the tents and stands. While the area was lively, Omegamon knew that the Spring Festival was much bigger in more populous areas. It didn't take them long before they started to enter the actual village.

To his surprise (and relief), he and Alphamon went largely unnoticed, except for the occasional stare, double-take, and whisper. Everybody else seemed too enraptured in the festivities to pay them much attention. Perhaps they thought they were somebody else or maybe dressed up in costume for the festival.

He and Alphamon walked past several buildings, still following the Unimon. Now that they were in the actual village of Auguria, things had calmed down a bit, though it was still relatively lively.

"Out of curiosity, what brings you here?" the Unimon asked, glancing down at them as he headed for the transportation business he worked at.

"Just unofficial business," Alphamon replied, sounding like he was being intentionally vague.

It was then that Omegamon began to wonder about his friend. Until he spoke, Omegamon had nearly forgotten that Alphamon was with him, since the knight had been so silent the whole time. He turned to Alphamon curiously. "Is everything okay, Alphamon?" he asked him, taking the digimon by surprise. "You've been quiet since we left the wagon."

"Yes, Omegamon," Alphamon replied, although it took a few seconds to look him in the eye. "I've just been thinking."

"About whether or not the rumour's true? And if it is, whether the Baronmon has any credibility?" Omegamon questioned.

Alphamon nodded. "Still… we've come all this way; it would be a waste not to check it out," he responded.

"I guess that's true," Omegamon said.

Ahead of them, Unimon flapped his wings in front of him to stop himself from flying forwards. He turned and looked at the two knights. "I can go ahead and find someone to pull the cart. Then I'll go and see the doctor. Why don't you two go do whatever you came to do, knights, sirs?" he said to them.

"We're going to wait for our friend before we do that," Alphamon replied, looking up at him.

"In that case, why don't you go and wait at the inn? I can pay for your rooms and expenses," Unimon suggested. "It's the least I can do for you guys driving off those thieves."

"That's very generous of you," Alphamon said, smiling slightly behind his helmet. "Thank you. We won't be staying more than a night."

The Unimon nodded. "Okay. The inn's just over there," he replied, nodding with his head in the direction of the building. "I'll get my friend to tell your friend where you guys will be staying."

"Thank you," Omegamon replied. When the Unimon flew off in a different direction, he turned to Alphamon. "Should we wait there for OuRyuumon? …Or do you want to go play some carnival games?" he asked with a small grin.

Alphamon gave a soft chuckle. "Let's just go to the inn. We never did get to have that break," he replied, beginning to walk down the simple dirt road.

Omegamon followed him. He preferred that option much more than the other one anyways. They walked to a large building about three stories high. It was clearly defined by the large sign that read "Come Inn". The two couldn't help but exchange glances at the awful pun.

"Let's… go in…" Alphamon said, though he suddenly felt kind of dirty for playing into the sign's wishes with his response.

"Let's…" Omegamon agreed, walking with Alphamon towards the front entrance. Due to his gauntlets covering his hands, Omegamon stood back so Alphamon could open the door for them.

The wooden door opened after a light push. They walked in and were immediately greeted by the warm, cozy atmosphere. There was a large room filled with several tables and booths arranged in a tidy, accessible manner, as well as a well stocked bar on the opposite end. Around the room were several lanterns, though none of them were lit yet. The knights could hear the low chatter of socializing digimon filling the air.

Off to the right of them was the front desk. There they noticed a portly, golden bug digimon sitting behind the desk, doing several things at once with his three pairs of hands. The Kongoumon looked up at them and smiled as the two Royal Knights walked over. "Hello, there. What can I do for you this afternoon?" he asked. His red eyes looked between Alphamon and Omegamon curiously. "Are you… Royal Knights?" he asked.

"We are," Alphamon told him. He began to notice his nervousness around them. It wasn't an unusual response to their presence. Many digimon, both innocent and not-so-innocent ones, were anxious around the Royal Knights, worried that the Royal Knights were there to arrest them or something. "Don't worry. We're just here for a place to stay. Three single, medium rooms, please. For myself, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon. Unimon said that he'd cover the bill?"

"Oh, of course," the Kongoumon innkeeper said, smiling at them. He used three of his hands to pick out three keys and handed them to Alphamon. "Rooms fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen. Second floor, at the end of the hall. Please enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," Alphamon replied, taking the keys and handing one to Omegamon.

They walked over to the stairs beside the front desk and headed up to the second floor of the inn. The stairs led to a long hallway with several halls branching off from it, leading to several different rooms. Alphamon and Omegamon walked down the main hallway to the very end and then turned left down a shorter corridor. At the end of it there were three rooms with their designated numbers.

"Which room do you want?" Alphamon asked, walking down the hallway and unlocking each of the three doors. There was a door on the left wall, a door on the right wall, and a door at the end of the hall. Upon opening the doors and looking inside, it looked like they were all the same size with the same amount of furniture and accommodations. The only differences were the placement of the furniture and the bathrooms.

"It doesn't matter to me," Omegamon replied. He turned and looked at the room on the left wall. "I guess I'll take fifteen."

"I'll take sixteen, then," Alphamon said. "Which leaves OuRyuumon with seventeen." He took Omegamon's key ring in his fingers and hung it around one of the horns on Omegamon's Grey Arm. He then nodded at Omegamon and walked into room sixteen, the one at the end of the hallway.

Omegamon smiled a bit and followed Alphamon into his room. Inside, it wasn't a particularly lavish set up. The basic necessities for a bedroom were there. There was a large, comfortable looking bed with warm bed sheets and soft pillows. There was also a table with two chairs and a door leading to the bathroom.

Alphamon sat down at the table and Omegamon seated himself across from him. Omegamon adjusted his cape so that he wasn't sitting on it and he began removing his gauntlets. "What do you expect we'll find here, Alphamon?" he asked the black knight while looking at him.

"I'm not sure," Alphamon admitted, leaning forwards on the table and staring down at the smooth wood surface. "Possibly nothing. We'll find out for ourselves when OuRyuumon arrives…"

Omegamon nodded. For a few seconds, he stared at Alphamon quietly. "And you're sure everything's alright?" he asked, inspecting him carefully. "You would tell me if something was troubling you, correct?"

Alphamon closed his eyes. It took all of his willpower not to wince or look away or show any admission of guilt, despite how he really felt. "Of course, Omegamon. You know I would," he assured him, opening his eyes and finally looking up at the knight. "I'm fine, really."

Omegamon nodded at him and stood up. "In that case, I'm going to head to my room and get out of this armour until OuRyuumon gets here," he explained, collecting his gauntlets in his arms. Omegamon smiled at his friend. "Though it's possible he might get distracted by the festival games on the way here."

"True," Alphamon replied with a grin. "I'll just be in my room. Or downstairs, asking the patrons about where we can find the Baronmon."

Omegamon nodded. "Good idea." With that, he walked out of Alphamon's room and went into his own room, closing the doors behind him.

Once Omegamon had left, Alphamon looked down with a soft frown. "_I hate lying to you,_" he thought silently to himself.

He exhaled weightily and stood up, walking over to his bed and sitting down on the soft mattress. It felt good to try and relax, as they had been on their feet all day. Still, he glanced at the door that Omegamon had left through.

"_Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him._"


	12. Chapter 9 Part 2: The Matter of Trust

(Author's Note: I'm putting an M rating on this one chapter part due to one scene. There's a short yaoi lime [non-descriptive/implied sex] at the start of one scene later on. It's pretty short and not very detailed, but if it makes any of you uncomfortable, just skip ahead a few paragraphs to where Omegamon appears in the scene. That way you won't miss anything important.)

**Chapter 9: The Matter of Trust (Part II)**

An hour or two had passed and the day was now into the late afternoon. The festival area was much less crowded now, but there were still several digimon there and the attractions were still mostly open.

OuRyuumon had since arrived in Auguria after about an hour. As Omegamon expected, he was distracted by the Spring Festival once arriving at the village. He eventually met up with his two companions at the inn.

The three set off into the village. They took advantage of the diminishing crowds to begin their search for the Baronmon. The trio set out down the main path with Alphamon leading the way.

"So, what have you been doing since you arrived, OuRyuumon?" Omegamon asked, looking over at the dragon as they trailed Alphamon. "I doubt you missed the inn since it was right up the street from the entrance."

"Oh, I've been at the dunk tank," the purple-haired dragon responded with a very self-satisfied smile. "Who knew that dunking that Bullmon mayor guy would be so much fun?!"

"…You're terrible," Omegamon said flatly, looking at him with a stony expression.

OuRyuumon smirked widely at him. "You know, the stand had a signup sheet for volunteers to be dunked. I'm starting to think… wouldn't a kind and charitable knight like yourself want to lend your services to the community?" he teased.

Omegamon tensed up and looked forwards quickly. He blushed a bit and suddenly sped up to walk beside Alphamon. "S-So, this Baronmon we're supposed to find…" he began in a hurried voice.

Alphamon grinned a bit and glanced over at him. "Yes, Omegamon?" he asked. He knew how much his second-in-command hated public speaking and even just being the center of attention. He decided to go along with Omegamon's changing of the subject and not add to OuRyuumon's teasing this time.

"Is he a local or is he out in the festival area?" Omegamon asked, composing himself again.

"Yeah, I saw a few so-called 'psychic' and fortuneteller tents on my way in. I bet they're all frauds," OuRyuumon replied, flying up to Alphamon's other side. "In fact, I bet this guy's going to be a fake too."

"Don't prejudge, OuRyuumon," Alphamon told him, glancing over at the dragon. "Baronmon have been known to have some form of future sight."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's not nuts or lying about his visions for attention," OuRyuumon retorted, folding his arms. He let out a scoff. "I mean, seriously? 'Beware the black night'? For all we know, he's foreseeing himself after he accidentally locked himself in his basement or something. It doesn't necessarily mean the sun's going to disappear and giant evil digimon are going to lay waste to the land."

"He's not exactly wrong…" Omegamon said, much to Alphamon's surprise that he agreed with OuRyuumon about something. "Digimon with psychic abilities have been known to occasionally embellish or even make up stories for greater publicity or for profit. And their visions are often vague and hard to decode."

"Besides," OuRyuumon added. "I went to a fortuneteller when I got here. He said digimon like me who are born under the sign of Zhuqiaomon are passionate, reckless, and impulsive."

"…You _are_ passionate, reckless, and impulsive," Alphamon pointed out dryly.

"Yeah, but I was born under the sign of Qinglongmon," OuRyuumon replied with a grin.

Alphamon rolled his eyes. "Anyways, as for your question about the Baronmon, Omegamon, the patrons at the inn's bar said he was a local. Apparently he's a respected one too," he replied.

OuRyuumon shrugged dismissively. "Small towns and villages are always more superstitious than city digimon," he retorted.

"Let's wait until we actually meet him before making any judgments," Alphamon said, glancing at the dragon flying next to him.

Omegamon nodded. "That's fair," he replied. He decided to leave his gauntlets back in his locked room, as he didn't think it was necessary to bring them to the seer's hut.

"That's it up ahead," Alphamon told them, looking at a medium-sized, single story hut at the end of the street. It sat at one of the ends of the village and about twenty meters behind the hut was the river. The knights could hear the sounds of tumultuous water flowing down the river as they walked towards the building.

They approached the building and noticed that it looked much more humble and old fashioned than the other buildings around the village. Alphamon took the initiative and knocked on the door of the house slowly and shortly, but with force behind each thump.

"Come in," a voice said from inside.

Alphamon pushed the door open and walked inside. The strong smell of incense entered their nostrils as soon as they entered. Upon walking in and taking just a single glance around, they could tell that the place was full of interesting baubles. Hanging around the main room were things like glass orbs, talismans, strange pendulums and dream catchers. In the center of the room was a large circular table surrounded by cushioned chairs. Just in front of that was a square mat with pillows for sitting arranged neatly around it. Off to the side of the room was a large desk with several things on it like magical stones, charms, statuettes, and labeled jars filled with unknown contents, possibly herbs or medicinal things. There were also more standard things on the desk such as paper, quills, and a lamp. Next to the deck was a bookshelf crammed full of books, journals, and scrolls, not to mention other curios like the various charms, crystals, and mystical objects that seemed to be all over the room.

OuRyuumon walked around Alphamon and ended up banging his head on a pendulum that had been swinging back and forth rhythmically. He scowled and grabbed the metal orb, stopping it in his claws.

Standing up from the desk was a short humanoid digimon garbed in green clothes and an orange cape. He turned towards them, showing the knights his blue, demonic face. With the short, curved tusks coming out of his mouth, he looked like he should be threatening, but his voice, composure, and expression were warm and welcoming. On top of his head he wore some sort of red, stylized, ceremonial headdress. However, his most noticeable feature was his third eye, which looked at them from the center of his forehead.

"Hello, Royal Knights," Baronmon said, smiling a bit. He didn't seem that surprised to see them.

"Ah hah!" OuRyuumon declared triumphantly, pointing his finger at the seer. "I'm not a Royal Knight!"

"…And OuRyuumon," Baronmon added dryly, calmly walking over to them.

Ignoring OuRyuumon's grumbling, Alphamon nodded at the alleged soothsayer and politely offered his hand. "Greetings, 'Baronmon', correct?" he asked, shaking his hand.

The Baronmon nodded, looking up at the Royal Knight. "I'm honoured, Lord of the Empty Seat."

"Call me Alphamon. Please," the black knight responded, withdrawing his hand. "We're only here unofficially."

"Ah, an unofficial visit. Interesting. Please, sit down," Baronmon said, waving his arm out towards the chairs around the large table.

"Thank you," Omegamon said. The three visitors sat down at the table and Baronmon walked around it and sat across from them. Due to his height, OuRyuumon was feeling very crammed in at the table.

Baronmon put his gloved hands on the table and folded them. "So what unofficially brings you here?" he asked, looking at the three studiously.

"If you're psychic, can't you tell?" OuRyuumon inquired, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms.

Baronmon chuckled softly. "It doesn't quite work like that," he explained, looking at OuRyuumon. "I can't read minds. I can merely glimpse into the future now and again. I knew that you three were coming, but not why."

"Uh huh…" the gold dragon spoke, sounding unconvinced.

"I know you must find that difficult to believe with the… circus of so-called psychics outside the village," the Baronmon spoke.

"We're not here to judge," Alphamon told him. "However, we are here to investigate what happened several days ago."

"Several days ago…?" Baronmon asked, thinking back.

"Apparently you made a large fuss in the village, saying 'Beware the black night' over and over?" Alphamon asked uncertainly. "…Or were we lead astray by a false rumour?"

Omegamon looked at the seer quietly and studiously. OuRyuumon was busy looking around at all the strange trinkets in the room.

Baronmon winced a bit. He started shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "O-Oh… that…" he mumbled. Be brought his hand up and tugged at his collar. "That was… nothing."

"But it did happen, correct?" Alphamon asked with a thoughtful frown.

"Yes…" the Baronmon replied, looking down. "H-However, that was… Not all of my future sight is clear. The visions are often murky and ambiguous. I saw something and I overreacted in the heat of the moment. Having these visions is often a very deep and emotional experience, you see."

Omegamon and OuRyuumon frowned. Alphamon, however, was quiet. He stared at him with pensive crimson eyes. "…What did you see?" he finally asked him.

Baronmon closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Everything was dark… In the ground, there was a hole. An abyss. It felt… destructive and cold. A digimon cloaked with shadow and hatred rose up. There was vengeance in his heart," he explained, his voice dire. He felt a chill up his spine as he recalled the dream. "…However, it may have been nothing. I was in a half-awake state after it. I didn't know what I was saying and I probably made a bigger deal out of it than I should have. I didn't mean to worry anybody."

"It's alright," Omegamon said, closing his eyes. "At least you're honest."

"So you don't think this is anything worth worrying about, basically," OuRyuumon said, looking at Baronmon.

Baronmon stalled. "…No. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish dreams from visions. This is one of those times."

"Are you sure about that…?" Alphamon asked, raising his eyebrow as he gazed at the seer. "The way you described it was so vivid."

Baronmon nodded and looked away. "I'm sure it's nothing, Sir Alphamon," he assured the knight. "I'm sorry if you've wasted a trip."

Omegamon shook his head. "It's better to be safe than sorry," he responded. The white knight turned to Alphamon, who was quiet.

OuRyuumon, who was looking kind of uninterested, suddenly spoke up. "Hey, if that's all, can you give us our fortunes?" the dragon asked, grinning a bit.

Baronmon kept himself from rolling his three eyes and instead closed them. "…You will make a pleasant discovery tomorrow, OuRyuumon," he told him.

OuRyuumon grinned wider. "Yeah? What?" he asked.

"You'll have to wait and find out," the Baronmon answered.

"Not too convenient," the serpentine ryu muttered sarcastically.

Omegamon then stood up from his seat, followed by OuRyuumon. "Thank you for humouring our questions," he told him.

"Not a problem," Baronmon told them, standing up. "Please, you're free to take any of my products that are under fifty bits."

The white knight raised his hands, trying to dissuade the seer. "There's no need-"

"Do you have any body lotion?" OuRyuumon eagerly interrupted.

Omegamon looked at the dragon with surprise. "Why do you need body lotion…?" he asked, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"N-No reason," OuRyuumon quickly lied, looking away. He glanced at Alphamon for a single second. "I'll just take that." He pointed his claw randomly at a yellow potion bottle with a price tag on it.

"…That's an herbal potion that makes digimon more fertile for reproduction," the Baronmon told him with a completely straight face.

The hut was silent for several tense moments. OuRyuumon's cheeks burned red as his blood rushed into his face. His eye twitched and he spun around. Without another word, he stormed out of the hut in embarrassment.

Omegamon's face flushed as well. He gave the Baronmon a swift nod goodbye and quickly followed OuRyuumon outside.

Alphamon smirked at the Baronmon as he stood to his feet. "That's one way to get them out of here…" he replied. His smile quickly disappeared and he looked at the seer with a serious expression. "Baronmon… Are you sure about the vision? You're saying it's a dream, but apparently you caused quite the stir for it to be only a dream."

Baronmon winced and looked away from the knight. "Maybe it felt more serious at first, but on reflection, I'm sure it was just a nightmare. I may be a seer, but I've never had prophetic dreams that affected anything more than the digimon of Auguria and the occasional visitors. My visions can't predict things on a continental scale. No, I'm sure it was just a bad but vivid dream."

Alphamon frowned. "…If you're sure," he spoke with uncertainty in his voice. "Thank you for your time." With that, Alphamon turned around and began walking towards the door.

"…Sir Alphamon, wait," Baronmon suddenly said from behind him.

Alphamon stopped in his tracks and turned around. He looked down at the short digimon curiously. "Yes?"

"I did have a vision about you…" Baronmon told him, looking at the knight with a serious look in his eyes. "I feel obligated to tell you."

"You did? What is it?" the Royal Knight asked, raising his eyebrow.

"It's that… You need to be careful about what Omegamon finds out…" he said to Alphamon. "If he discovers whatever it is you're hiding from him, he'll be hurt badly… Your bond with him may be broken."

Alphamon grimaced and turned away. He was quiet for a moment.

"I know." Alphamon spoke solemnly, turning his caped back to the seer. "…Thank you."

Baronmon nodded. "I wish you luck, Sir Alphamon."

Alphamon turned his head and gave him a nod of farewell. He then walked out of the hut, opting to decline the digimon's offer of taking a free item. Waiting outside were Omegamon and OuRyuumon, who looked up as soon as Alphamon appeared.

"Well this trip was a waste of time," OuRyuumon complained, beginning to walk down the road now that Alphamon was there.

"It would have been worse if we ignored it and it was true," Omegamon responded, walking with him. "At least we know it was a false alarm and he didn't try to play us for fools by saying it was a real vision."

"He _claims_ it isn't real vision," Alphamon spoke lowly.

Omegamon and OuRyuumon turned their heads to look at him in astonishment. "What?! Are you feeling alright, Alphamon? You must be sick if you actually believe it's a real vision," OuRyuumon said, slowing down and putting his hand on Alphamon's helmeted forehead.

Alphamon gently swatted his hand away. "That Baronmon undeniably has a form of future sight, like many of his species do. I witnessed it myself when you two were outside," he replied.

"What did he say?" Omegamon asked, looking into Alphamon's eyes.

Alphamon looked away from his friend's gaze. "…It doesn't matter," he replied.

"Even so, why would he himself say that it was nothing but a regular dream? He knows his mind better than we do, Alphamon," Omegamon said.

"Maybe, but… I'm not sure. I feel like he's doubting himself. Or maybe he felt persecuted by us," Alphamon retorted.

OuRyuumon sighed and placed his hand on Alphamon's shoulder. "Look, Alphamon. I know you don't want this trip to seem like it was a waste of time, but you're looking for things that aren't there. When even the seer says he was full of it, then I think it's time to call it a day. Besides, there's still a festival here, so it's not a complete waste. Right, Omegamon?"

Omegamon nodded. "None of us could have known whether the rumour was true or not."

Alphamon frowned and shrugged off OuRyuumon's hand. "That's not it…" he spoke, though it felt like his two friends had already made up their minds, so he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He sighed. "_There's only so much I could do with the information that Baronmon provided us with anyways. Maybe we_ should _call it a day_."

OuRyuumon walked ahead of Alphamon. "Come on. Let's head back to the inn for some supper. Remember, we're on Unimon's tab, so we can really dig in."

"It's not very knightly taking advantage of someone's kind offer, OuRyuumon," Omegamon scolded, glancing over at the dragon. "You want to be a Royal Knight, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah…" OuRyuumon murmured, rolling his purple eyes.

Alphamon quietly followed them as they talked and headed back towards the inn. He fixed his eyes on Omegamon and watched him with a subtle grimace. "_I've kept OuRyuumon and I a secret from you for this long… It's too late to tell you now. Baronmon just confirmed what I already knew. I need to keep lying to you for your own sake, my good friend…"_

* * *

><p>The trio sat in a booth in the inn. There was a warm, hearty ambience that was accentuated by the fiery lamps hanging from the ceiling. They had been lit since the sun set and the night overtook the village.<p>

The knights chose to sit near a corner, not wanting too much attention since they didn't want to be signing autographs for an hour. Luckily for them, the inn didn't seem to be too crowded except for over near the bar.

Omegamon pushed his freshly emptied plate forwards and dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

"I still don't know where you pack away all that food," OuRyuumon teased with a raised eyebrow. He raised his tail under the table and using the tip to poke Omegamon's skinny torso to prove his point.

"Well, he is part Greymon," Alphamon joked, looking at Omegamon with a small, teasing grin

The white knight tinted a bit and smacked OuRyuumon's tail away. "I have a high metabolism…" he replied, glaring at them in embarrassment.

Alphamon chuckled and looked out the window. Through the glass, he could see the darkness of the evening and the starry sky that started to emerge. He then looked down at his half-finished food. "Why don't you go for your usual night walk now, Omegamon?" Alphamon asked, looking over at him. "It looks like OuRyuumon and I are going to be here for awhile."

Omegamon nodded. "I think I'll do that, actually," he responded, slipping out of the cushioned booth and standing up. "I was meaning to look around the village anyways."

"Have fun," OuRyuumon said to him before biting down on his fork. "And go for a long one. It's not like there's much else to do this evening."

"That's true," Omegamon replied. "I'll see you two later." He gave them a polite nod and turned to walk to the exit.

"Hasn't that guy had enough walking today?" OuRyuumon asked, glancing down at the knight beside him.

"It relaxes him," Alphamon explained. He raised his fork and ate the potatoes resting on top of it.

"I'm going to need something to relax me tonight. It's going to be a boring evening and I'm too tired to walk," OuRyuumon replied with an annoyed groan as he looked at Alphamon. His eyes then trailed down to look at the knight's lap and his spread legs. He then grinned, as if getting an idea. "You know what we _could_ do…" he said, trailing off to let Alphamon fill in the blanks.

Alphamon slowly turned to him and saw a familiar look in OuRyuumon's eyes. He blushed a bit and gave him a bland stare. "I thought you were too tired to do anything…" he replied dryly.

"Hey, you'd be the one doing all the work," OuRyuumon told him, his grin growing wider.

"No," the Royal Knight replied firmly. "Omegamon's room is right next to mine and across the hall from yours. He or somebody else will hear us."

"He's out on his walk and there's nobody else staying near our rooms," OuRyuumon explained. He reached his claws down and started rubbing at the gap in Alphamon's thigh armour. "Come oooonnnn…"

Alphamon gasped softly and grabbed OuRyuumon's hand, pulling it away from him. "O-OuRyuumon! Not here!" he said with a sharp glare.

"Then in your room?" OuRyuumon asked with a wide smirk.

Alphamon flushed deeper. "…Fine," he said with mild irritation, although it wouldn't entirely be a chore for him either. "But let's hurry."

OuRyuumon grinned victoriously and stood up, getting out of the booth. "See? I knew you couldn't wait."

The Royal Knight rolled his eyes and stood up too. "Come on, OuRyuumon…" he said, starting to head over to the stairs leading to the second level.

* * *

><p>"A-Aaaalphamon!" OuRyuumon's voice moaned breathily, a slight draconic growl accentuating his words as he spoke.<p>

The air of the room was thick and hot with the release of body heat and the scent of sweat. Alphamon and OuRyuumon lay in the bed of Alphamon's room; both were enthralled in the passion of the moment. Scattered heedlessly beside the bed were sections of black and gold armour belonging to the two digimon.

OuRyuumon's long, serpentine body lay with his back against the soft mattress. His body was flexibly bent at his torso so that he and Alphamon could be eye to eye during their intimacy. Alphamon was positioned on top of OuRyuumon; the bed sheets were modestly draped over Alphamon's back, covering their naked bodies up to their necks. All that could be seen were their shoulders, necks, heads, and OuRyuumon's tail swaying about in pleasure as it stuck out from the bed sheets at the other end of the bed.

The legs of the bed trembled slightly with each thrust underneath the bed sheets. Alphamon lay with his elbows on OuRyuumon's wings, his hands gripping the sheets beneath them for support while he bent his head down and kissed OuRyuumon's neck sensually. He let out a soft groan as he continued to move his body up and down, on top of OuRyuumon's.

OuRyuumon kissed Alphamon's neck and moaned against his skin. He tightened his embrace of Alphamon's chest, pulling him closer and gripping the warm covers above Alphamon's back strongly. "Alpha…mon. H-Harder, for Yggdrasil's sake! You're making me so damn _hot_, you sexy Royal Knight," he said between heavy, lustful breaths.

"Harder…?" Alphamon asked with a grin, pushing his hips backwards and forwards with more power and determination. He kissed OuRyuumon lovingly and let his hand trail down OuRyuumon's sweaty, scaled chest, his hand disappearing deep beneath the sheets. "Hard like this?" he questioned with a sly smile.

OuRyuumon groaned and arched his back with extreme pleasure. "Y-Yes!"

Alphamon smirked and grunted as he resumed with more powerful thrusts below the covers. He started to arch his back as well, the pushing becoming as long and forceful as their wet, passionate kisses. "OuRyuumon… You're so-"

"Alphamon?" Omegamon's voice suddenly called out from outside the door. The door knob began to jiggle.

Alphamon's red eyes widened with absolute horror and his heart sunk to the bottom of his chest in the matter of seconds. Almost nothing scared the Lord of the Empty Seat, but this was one of the very few things that sent his heart into overdrive. The Royal Knight stopped all movement, becoming like an awkwardly positioned statue. He slowly turned his head, looking over his shoulder towards the door.

The knight was absolutely mortified when he saw the door begin to open. He could see Omegamon's white hand through the widening crack and that was all it took.

OuRyuumon looked up at him in confusion, having not heard Omegamon's voice and wondering why he stopped when things were going so well. "…Alphamo- MMM!"

Alphamon ripped the pillow out from underneath OuRyuumon's head and slammed it down on top of him, using the big cushion to hide OuRyuumon's head and neck. Alphamon immediately lowered himself down on top of the dragon, covering his body with his own bigger one. He rested an arm on top of the pillow in sheer desperation, trying to make as if he was the only person in the bed.

OuRyuumon, of course, wasn't the least bit happy about being nearly crushed and smothered. He let out a series of muffled yells and he flailed his arms, legs and tail around wildly, trying to get Alphamon off of him.

Omegamon walked in and raised an eyebrow. The room was dark, but he saw Alphamon lying on his stomach underneath the bed sheets. He seemed to be moving around under the blankets restlessly. "…Alphamon?" he asked. "Are you alright? I thought I heard some strange noises coming from here."

Alphamon gave a wide, sheepish grin. He prayed to Yggdrasil that Omegamon didn't notice all the blood that had pooled in his face from immense blushing. "Hah hah. Yes! I was just… doing stretches," he told him with a nervous smirk. Meanwhile, underneath the covers, he was doing his best to try and keep OuRyuumon from thrashing his limps around, all while trying to make sure that the covers and pillow concealed his bedmate. All the movement only made Alphamon blush and grimace more; he tried to keep himself from letting a groan slide, despite the fact that the moment was long ruined now.

"…Stretches?" Omegamon asked. He couldn't help but blink.

"Y-Yes… Bed stretches," Alphamon assured him. He angled his body to pin one of OuRyuumon's arms down while he used his free arm to grab OuRyuumon's other wrist and hold it in place. He felt like he might as well be doing some bizarre stretch routine; he had to pin OuRyuumon's wings down with his elbows and put his knees against OuRyuumon's thighs to keep him still there too.

He then grimaced when he remembered OuRyuumon's tail was still whipping around outside of the sheets. He hooked the long tail with his foot and quickly pulled it underneath the sheets again, just as Omegamon looked towards the foot of the bed. He ignored the sting when the tail started lashing against his leg. Alphamon really hoped that Omegamon would leave soon. He didn't want to keep OuRyuumon under there too long.

He smiled at Omegamon uneasily. "So… I'm fine, Omegamon. Go back to your room," he told him, way too nervous to be as subtle as he'd like to be while lying. He just wanted him out as soon as possible.

"Err… very well," Omegamon said with a nod. He couldn't help but notice how… unusual Alphamon was acting right then, but he had no reason to press the issue. "Goodnight," he said before turning around and beginning to close the door.

"Goodnight," Alphamon replied with a relieved sigh. When he saw Omegamon's back to them and the door nearly closed, he quickly removed the pillow from OuRyuumon's head so that he could breathe again.

OuRyuumon gasped for air and glared at Alphamon furiously. "ALPHA- MMM?!"

His shout stopped Omegamon in his tracks. The white knight quickly swung around and opened the door again. Alphamon panicked and quickly covered OuRyuumon's mouth with the pillow again.

"…Pardon?" Omegamon questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Alphamon insisted, raising his arm and making as if he had just been yawning. "I was just yawning." Again, he had to go back to keeping OuRyuumon from moving.

"O…kay," Omegamon responded uncertainly. "Also, do you know where OuRyuumon is? He isn't in his room."

"I'm not sure. Try the bar," Alphamon told him hurriedly and succinctly. Beads of sweat dripped down his red face as he spoke.

"I just came from there," Omegamon explained.

"Then he's probably out for a night flight," the Royal Knight said to him.

Omegamon silently looked at Alphamon and then glanced down at the floor beside the bed. His blue eyes lingered there for a few moments before looking back up at his friend. "…I see. In that case, I'll go get some sleep."

Without another word, Omegamon turned around and closed Alphamon's door behind him completely. Alphamon waited several moments until he heard the door to Omegamon's room close too. Just to be sure, he waited a few more seconds before removing the pillow from OuRyuumon and shushing him immediately.

OuRyuumon sucked in air and coughed, glaring at Alphamon. "Damnit! What the hell was that, Alphamon?!" he demanded, although quieter than he would have liked. He panted hard and narrowed his eyes. "I could have died, you know! What the Yggdrasil's name were you doing?! I don't like it _that_ rough!"

"Sorry," Alphamon apologized sheepishly. He glanced nervously over at the closed door. "Omegamon came in so I panicked and tried to hide you."

OuRyuumon blinked. "_That's_ what happened?!" he asked. He looked over the opposite side of the bed. "Damn it, you should have just said so and I would have slithered over to the bathroom."

"I acted on impulse…" Alphamon answered. He then grinned at OuRyuumon dryly. "Besides, I personally know how long you can hold your breath for…"

OuRyuumon blushed and looked away. "Very funny…" he muttered, glancing over at Alphamon with embarrassment.

The dragon then frowned. "Wait… I know Omegamon doesn't know about our relationship, and you don't want anybody knowing, but why'd you freak out so much when it's just _Omegamon_? I mean, I've never seen you get so nervous. It's not like it was Duftmon who came in. You're like as close to Omegamon as you are to me. It's not like he would make a big deal about it, right?"

Alphamon pulled back and looked away, sitting up and wrapping his lower body in the blanket. "I… don't know about that," he responded, grimacing a little.

"…What?" OuRyuumon asked, his violet eyes widening with surprise. "He's one of your best friends! Now, I may not like him a hundred percent of the time, but I at least know he's not a bigot."

"I know he's not a bigot, OuRyuumon," Alphamon replied, sighing. "That's not it."

"Then what?" OuRyuumon inquired. "Do you not trust him?"

Alphamon was silent for a few seconds, thinking to himself quietly about his answer. "It's complicated…" he told him.

OuRyuumon frowned and looked at Alphamon silently. He saw the trepidation in Alphamon's eyes. "…I know there's something going on, Alphamon. The only reason I can think of that you would want to keep it from him so much is if you didn't trust him."

After several moments, Alphamon answered. "That's not exactly it…" he explained, looking down at his lap.

"Well then?" OuRyuumon asked, getting impatient at Alphamon's beating around the bush.

"It's not that I don't trust him, OuRyuumon," the knight spoke, looking down. "It's that… how can I tell him now, after so long?"

"What do you mean?" the gold dragon asked, moving closer to him.

"You and I have been in a relationship for several years now," Alphamon said. "Now, how would you feel if I told you I was keeping something this big from you – my trusted friend – for all those years?"

"Well…" OuRyuumon thought to himself. "I guess… I'd feel bad. It'd feel like you didn't trust me enough to confide in me. Like you thought I'd go blabbing to everybody else or I'd judge you or something."

"Exactly," Alphamon said, sighing. "That's why I can't tell him now. Omegamon will think I don't trust him, even when I do."

"I _knew_ there was another reason why you didn't want people to know," OuRyuumon said. "So, if you trust him, why didn't you tell him when you first found out you were bisexual?"

Alphamon frowned. "I couldn't. I… wasn't brave enough," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You? Not brave enough?" OuRyuumon laughed. "That's hard to believe."

"You know as well as I do that there are different types of bravery," Alphamon said to the dragon knowingly. "I've seen you face four mega level digimon with your bare claws, but I remember how scared you were when you confessed your feelings to me…"

OuRyuumon blushed and looked away. "I g-guess…" he muttered. He frowned and scratched his violet-haired head. "But Alphamon, you don't know for sure that Omegamon will react that way if you tell him you're bi. You just have to word it right, and I know how good you are with words."

"Baronmon told me that Omegamon would be deeply wounded if I told him," Alphamon replied. He reached over and held OuRyuumon's hand.

OuRyuumon couldn't help but stare at Alphamon in surprise at his words, but he nonetheless squeezed the hand back. "So he knows…? A-At any rate! That doesn't necessarily mean he's right. Omegamon's a calm, rational guy, isn't he? He wouldn't overreact like I would if you told him, I'm pretty sure." The dragon let go of Alphamon's hand and folded his arms across his chest. "Besides, what if he finds out on his own? That would be even worse. We've already had a lot of close calls with our secret relationship and Omegamon's pretty smart. I hate to say it, but there's a good chance he'll find out eventually."

"I don't know, OuRyuumon…" Alphamon said with a frown. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should pick my moment and tell him."

"Yeah," OuRyuumon replied with a smile. He then rubbed the back of his head. "…Except maybe just tell him you're bi and keep me out of it for now."

Alphamon gave a small, uncertain smile. "I'll see. I still haven't decided what to do yet."

OuRyuumon gave him a sly smile. "How about we finish what we starte-"

"I'm going to have a shower," Alphamon retorted, sliding off the bed and walking over to the bathroom.

"…Damn it," OuRyuumon huffed.

* * *

><p>The stars sparkled in the night sky. Two half moons shone down rays of reflected moonlight from above, casting dim light across the town of Auguria. However, the light lessened considerably when a cloud blocked one of the moons from view.<p>

Omegamon stood at the edge of town, staring up into the night sky. There was a sad grimace in his blue eyes as he looked up at the moon.

"Why, Alphamon…?" he whispered. Pain laced the two words.

* * *

><p><em>"O…kay," Omegamon responded uncertainly as he looked at Alphamon from the doorway of Alphamon's room. Alphamon seemed very guarded as he lay on his chest, underneath the covers of his bed. Omegamon wondered why he was acting so strangely. "Also, do you know where OuRyuumon is? He isn't in his room," he asked, remembering seeing OuRyuumon's room devoid of the dragon when he walked by.<em>

_"I'm not sure. Try the bar," Alphamon told him hurriedly and succinctly._

_"I just came from there," Omegamon explained. He noticed that Alphamon seemed a bit flustered._

_"Then he's probably out for a night flight," the Royal Knight said to him._

_Omegamon frowned. It didn't seem likely to him. He didn't see OuRyuumon while he was out walking, and OuRyuumon was talking about how he just wanted to relax that evening. _

_It was then that Omegamon noticed something strange. On the floor beside the bed, he could see OuRyuumon's arm bracers mixed in with Alphamon's armour. They unquestionably belonged to the dragon. He also noticed other pieces of OuRyuumon's scattered here and there. Omegamon blinked and frowned with confusion. He looked back up at Alphamon. "…I see. In that case, I'll go get some sleep."_

_Omegamon turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He then closed the door to his own room, although he himself stayed out in the hallway. He made it sound like he went into his room, while he actually stayed in the hall to listen in. The knight felt a little guilty for eavesdropping, but he knew Alphamon was acting very strangely. He also knew that OuRyuumon had been in the room, yet Alphamon told him that he didn't know where he was. It was enough cause for suspicion._

_He stood near the closed door and leaned in, listening. He heard a series of gasps and coughs from inside._

_"Damnit! What the hell was that, Alphamon?!" OuRyuumon's voice asked lowly, though still loud enough for Omegamon to hear. "I could have died, you know! What the Yggdrasil's name were you doing?! I don't like it that rough!"_

_"Sorry," Alphamon apologized. "Omegamon came in so I panicked and tried to hide you."_

_Omegamon blinked in shock at Alphamon's words. He was surprised and confused. Why would Alphamon of all digimon panic because of him? Why would he hide OuRyuumon from him? Also, what did OuRyuumon mean by not liking 'it' that rough?_

_"That's what happened?!" OuRyuumon asked. "Damn it, you should have just said so and I would have slithered over to the bathroom."_

_"I acted on impulse…" Alphamon answered. "Besides, I personally know how long you can hold your breath for…"_

_OuRyuumon blushed and looked away. "Very funny…"_

_Omegamon frowned and continued listening. He wanted to know what they were talking about._

_"Wait… I know Omegamon doesn't know about our relationship, and you don't want anybody knowing, but why'd you freak out so much when it's just Omegamon? I mean, I've never seen you get so nervous. It's not like it was Duftmon who came in. You're like as close to Omegamon as you are to me. It's not like he would make a big deal about it, right?" OuRyuumon asked._

_"_Relationship_?" Omegamon thought to himself. "_Then that means_…" _

_Omegamon's eyes widened with absolute shock. Alphamon and OuRyuumon were in a relationship…? Together? He took a step away from the door, staring at it with dismay and bewilderment. Not only did it shock him to his core, but he also felt himself blush with embarrassment._

_"I… don't know about that," Alphamon responded, sounding very unsure of himself._

_Those words were enough to snap Omegamon out of his daze. He frowned with shock and confusion. Alphamon sounded like he thought Omegamon would fly off the handle and berate him or something. He wondered why Alphamon would think that. It made him feel a tinge of pain in his chest._

_"…What?" OuRyuumon asked. "He's one of your best friends! Now, I may not like him a hundred percent of the time, but I at least know he's not a bigot."_

_Omegamon wondered if that's what Alphamon thought of him. He truly hoped it wasn't. Omegamon's mind was going into overdrive as he processed all of this information and all the new questions that entered his mind. At the very least, it was strange to hear OuRyuumon sticking up for him._

_"I know he's not a bigot, OuRyuumon," Alphamon replied with an audible sigh. That put Omegamon's mind at rest slightly. "That's not it."_

_"Then what?" OuRyuumon inquired, asking the question that Omegamon was wondering as well. "Do you not trust him?"_

_The white knight then heard silence from Alphamon. The silence was deafening. What Alphamon didn't say revealed much more to Omegamon than anything that Alphamon did say. Omegamon grimaced with pain as he felt the sharp ache in his heart return tenfold._

_"…It's complicated," Alphamon spoke, further compounding Omegamon's fear and sorrow._

_Omegamon cringed and looked away from the door. "That wasn't a denial, Alphamon…" he whispered sadly._

_"…I know there's something going on, Alphamon. The only reason I can think of that you would want to keep it from him so much is if you didn't trust him," he heard OuRyuumon speak._

_Silence again._

_Omegamon shut his eyes and turned away from the door. That was all he could allow himself to hear. As much as he wanted to stay and prove his fear wrong, he didn't want to hear Alphamon's answer. _

_His expression was now that of a deeply hurt grimace as he listened to his best friend's words or lack thereof. Omegamon backed away from Alphamon's door and stared at it with sad, blue eyes. Though his gaze lingered for a few moments, he slowly turned around and began striding swiftly down the hallway, heading for the first floor of the inn._

* * *

><p>Omegamon clenched his fists as he reflected on what he overheard. He reflected on his relationship with Alphamon.<p>

How long had they been the closest of friends? How many battles and fights had they fought side-by-side next to the other? They always helped and protected one another both in combat and out of combat. He thought they had a deep bond of trust, possibly one greater than any other of the Royal Knights.

Now he found out that it was a lie. That Alphamon didn't trust him enough to tell him about that secret. He didn't understand why. Did Alphamon think that he would betray his confidence? Did Alphamon think he would think Alphamon being in a relationship with another male would make him uncomfortable?

He didn't know. All Omegamon knew was the strong, wounded feeling he felt from his best friend not being able to trust him.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Alphamon," Omegamon said to himself as he stared up at the night sky. "I suppose… we're not as close as I thought… or hoped."

* * *

><p>A new day emerged with the arrival of dawn. After a long night, the village of Auguria was starting to come to life again. Villagers and visitors were starting to set up the festival again for another fun-filled day.<p>

Alphamon and OuRyuumon stood outside of the village among the tents, watching the digimon at work while they waited.

"How long until Omegamon gets here?" OuRyuumon asked, folding his arms. "I want to get this long trip back over with."

"He said to give him half an hour about twenty minutes ago," Alphamon replied, looking around. "He won't be too long."

"Aaaagh," OuRyuumon groaned impatiently. "In that case, I'm going to go look around the tents and stands. Let me know when he gets here."

Alphamon nodded as OuRyuumon walked off and disappeared behind a nearby tent. He stood and waited patiently.

After a few minutes, he noticed something in the distance. He saw a familiar gleam of white armour up against the backdrop of red cloth. He smiled a bit upon seeing Omegamon walking out of the village towards him. The white knight passed a few digimon and traipsed up to Alphamon.

Alphamon inspected him. Omegamon's eyes looked tired behind his helmet, as if he hadn't gotten much sleep. In fact, his whole demeanour was slow and forced. "Omegamon?" he asked with concern. "Did you not sleep well?"

Omegamon closed his eyes silently. Alphamon didn't say anything, as it looked like Omegamon was thinking. Finally, the knight opened his eyes and looked into Alphamon's.

"I have a confession to make to you, Alphamon," Omegamon told him, his voice calm but with a tinge of sadness. "I'm going to tell you because I trust you…"

Alphamon raised an eyebrow at him but nodded. "Of course, Omegamon. What is it?" he asked curiously.

Omegamon nodded, continuing to lock eyes with Alphamon. "I listened in on your conversation with OuRyuumon last night. The one in your room…" he explained with a weighty tone.

Alphamon's face slowly morphed into one of absolute dread. His heart began thumping like a drum and his stomach felt like it was being crushed. "Y-You… what…?" he whispered, his mouth dry and his voice hoarse with shock.

Omegamon closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I apologize…" he said to Alphamon. "I hope that you won't lose any more trust in me."

"O-Omegamon…" Alphamon said, his uncharacteristic anxiety showing in his voice. "How much did you hear…?"

Omegamon opened his eyes. "I heard enough," he replied, though there was no resentment or animosity. There was, however, sadness. Omegamon looked at him with a genuine look in his eyes. "You don't have to worry, Alphamon. On my honour as a Royal Knight, I promise I won't tell anybody about you and OuRyuumon. Your private life is no business of the Royal Knights…"

"Wait," Alphamon stammered, although he wasn't sure what he could possibly say.

Omegamon sighed. "You have my word that your secret's safe," he told him. Omegamon cringed lightly and looked away. "Whether you believe me or not…"

Alphamon grimaced. His heart stung with regret and guilt. This was the last thing that he wanted. His racing mind tried to wonder how this could have happened and what he could do to make things right. "Omegamon, please, let me explain myself," he pleaded.

In that moment, OuRyuumon walked over to them with a big smile on his face. He was carrying three paper cones between his claws. "Hey, guys!" he said with a happily oblivious expression on his face. "Look what I found! Snow cones!" He extended his arms and put them between Alphamon and Omegamon. "I got one for each of us."

Alphamon and Omegamon stared at each other with sad expressions. Before Alphamon could say anything else, Omegamon grimaced and turned around. He started walking down the dirt path that they arrived in Auguria from, his cape fluttering in the wind, behind him.

Alphamon looked away with regret. "I guess at least one of Baronmon's prophecies came true," he whispered dejectedly.

OuRyuumon blinked with confusion and looked between him and Omegamon, who continued walking. "What…?"

Alphamon turned to OuRyuumon and looked down at the ice treats in his claws. "No thank you, OuRyuumon. I'm not hungry…" he told him. Alphamon started walking down the path too, following Omegamon but making no effort to try and catch up. He didn't see the point right now. "Let's just start heading home."

"Err… Sure," OuRyuumon replied, following him and taking a bite out of his snow cone.

With that, the three walked down the path with noticeable space between the three of them. It would be a long, tense journey back to the Royal Knight Headquarters…


	13. Chapter 10 Part 1: Waiting on a Miracle

**Chapter 10: Waiting on a Miracle (Part I)**

It was morning at the Royal Knights' headquarters. The sun poured into the bedroom from the window and warmed the dark blue bed sheets covering the bed. A soft, temperate wind also flowed in through the wide opening.

Magnamon lay in the bed, awake and staring up at the ceiling, just thinking to himself. He felt the breeze blow across his scales, reminding him that he should stop lying around and get ready for the day. With a soft grunt, he forced himself to sit up and slide out from under the covers. Wearing just grey pyjama pants, Magnamon stood up and stretched his muscles.

It was time to start his daily morning routine. He went out of his room and walked down the corridor, heading towards the end where the bathroom was. To his relief, the door was open, signifying that he didn't have to wait for anybody. Magnamon walked in, closed the door, and brushed his teeth. Once he was done, he took a nice, relaxing shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and carried his pyjama pants back to his room.

Once he was dry, he threw his wet towel in the laundry hamper and went to collect his armour from the rack in the corner of his room. The blue dragon man carried his golden armour over to the mirror beside his dresser. First, he pulled on the armour that covered his hip and groin area. He took a moment to adjust it for comfort. Next, he slid his feet into his boots. He proceeded to fasten his chest armour around his shoulders and upper body before securely attaching the long shoulder guards. Magnamon slid his bracers on his arms and finished his set off by putting his helmet over his head.

Magnamon looked in the mirror. He meticulously adjusted his armour and examined how it looked in his reflection. When he was satisfied, he nodded and walked over to the door.

He placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. "Today's going to be a good day," he said to himself, opening it and walking out into the hall.

* * *

><p>Alphamon strode down the dirt path quietly. He heard OuRyuumon's deep wing beats behind him, along with the occasional comment from the dragon. He was far more concerned about the Royal Knight far ahead of him. Omegamon continued leading the way with a considerable distance between himself and Alphamon.<p>

It had been a day since they left Auguria, and they had stopped only to sleep for the night. Alphamon and Omegamon hadn't exchanged a single word since the events yesterday. The only real contact they had was saying something like: 'Let's set up camp' or 'I'm taking a break.' The reason for this was that Omegamon was still wounded over his conclusion about Alphamon, and Alphamon wanted to give Omegamon space and didn't want to make the matters worse with a confrontation until he decided what he should do.

OuRyuumon flew up beside Alphamon and stared at him accusingly. "Okay, Alphamon. I'm not stupid. I know there's something going on between you and Omegamon. You two barely said two words to each other since yesterday," he said, folding his arms and frowning. He went on to examine Alphamon's face. "…You told him."

"Worse," Alphamon said, looking ahead at Omegamon to make sure that he was out of earshot. "The night before last, he overheard us…"

"Overheard us…?" OuRyuumon asked, thinking to himself. Suddenly, his face dropped. "You don't mean…"

Alphamon nodded with a cringe, still feeling guilty over it. "I don't know what part he heard, but he thinks the worst now," he explained.

OuRyuumon took on a determined frown that made it look like he wasn't going to leave things the way they were. "Hey, Ome-"

Alphamon reached over and cupped his hand over OuRyuumon's mouth. "Shh. Don't, OuRyuumon," he whispered harshly.

The dragon let out a muffled cry and quickly pulled Alphamon's hand off. He turned to him with a glare. "What are you doing?" he asked him sharply. "This is all just a big misunderstanding. Omegamon just got the wrong end of the stick, didn't he?"

"It's not that simple," Alphamon replied. "Even if I explained to him that I do trust him, I'm not sure that he would believe me right now. It would sound like I'm backpedaling since he knows that I know that he knows. And there's still the fact that I've kept this from him for how long."

OuRyuumon frowned and folded his arms. "You could always lie and tell him that we hooked up recently, so you really didn't have the chance to say anything," he suggested.

Alphamon shook his head. "No. I couldn't do that. Besides, we don't know what parts of the conversation he heard. Lying would probably just make matters worse," he explained with a sigh.

"Are you sure you can't just go talk to him?" OuRyuumon asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Alphamon said firmly. "It's still too soon. I need to pick my moment." He turned to OuRyuumon. "And, please, I don't want you to talk to him either."

"What? You think I'll run my mouth off?" OuRyuumon asked him with a flat stare and tone.

Alphamon smiled a bit and patted his shoulder. "You and I both know that diplomacy isn't your strong suit."

OuRyuumon rolled his eyes. "Fine. I won't," he replied dismissively, nonchalantly waving his hand. "Anyways, when do you think we'll get back to HQ?"

"Probably around midnight," Alphamon responded.

"How do you think Dukemon and the others are doing?" the winged serpent digimon questioned.

Alphamon closed his eyes. "I'm sure they're doing just fine."

* * *

><p>Magnamon strode down the hall with a confident gait. He was ready for any challenge that revealed itself to him that day.<p>

"Heeeey, short stuff," a familiar voice chimed from behind him.

_Almost_ any challenge…

Magnamon stopped and closed his eyes, making a point to ignore the typical height joke. "Ulforce…" he said in a restrained voice. "Good morning."

UlforceVeedramon walked up beside him and patted his shoulder. "Yeah, you too," he said in an upbeat voice.

Magnamon noticed that, unlike himself, UlforceVeedramon wasn't wearing his armour. Instead, he wore a white t-shirt that had a large, gold 'V' on it. His large blue and pink wings protruded from the back of the t-shirt, through long slits that were made to fit his wings. He also wore the yellow pair of shorts that he owned. "You're not dressed for a mission," Magnamon pointed out. "You don't think we'll have anything today?"

"You know how it is, Magna," UlforceVeedramon replied casually, wearing a smile on his face. "The bad guys aren't going to stir something up every single day just to give us something to do. If there's a debriefing, _then_ I'll put my armour on."

Magnamon folded his arms and walked beside him. "Why bother? Isn't your armour not very cumbersome, with blue chrome digizoid being so light and all?" he asked him curiously.

"Yeah, but it's still hard and less comfortable than clothes. Plus, that tight body suit kind of chafes after awhile," UlforceVeedramon explained, referring to the white, scale-tight suit that he wore over his blue scales when in his armour.

"I'd rather not hear about that," the shorter Royal Knight replied, giving a sideways glance to the winged dragon man. "Way too much information."

UlforceVeedramon chuckled and patted Magnamon's head, serving to irritate the digimon as it once again made reference to his height. "Anyways, that's the long and _short_ of it," he joked, grinning down at his comrade.

Magnamon's eye twitched. Another height joke. He took a breath and closed his eyes. He wanted to make sure that he didn't rise to it, even if it did get under his scales. He didn't want to give Ulforce the satisfaction. This was an important day to him, which was all the more reason why he tried to ignore the comments.

"So…" Magnamon spoke, trying to change the subject while making the point that he was ignoring the teasing. "What are your plans for the day if there are no missions, patrols or meetings or anything?"

"Hum…" UlforceVeedramon mused aloud, folding his arms and visibly thinking. "I don't know. The usual? It's not like today is any different from any other day," he replied with a carefree smile.

Magnamon frowned a little to himself. "Oh…" he replied. He did a relatively good job at hiding the slight disappointment in his voice. Magnamon turned, looking back at UlforceVeedramon. "I see."

UlforceVeedramon nodded and flashed a quick smile at him. "What about you?" he asked.

"Um… Me?" Magnamon echoed. "Well… Not very much. I might train a little with one of the others or go read a book in the library."

"Don't read too much or you might turn into Duftmon," UlforceVeedramon joked with a light chuckle. He then looked Magnamon over. "Well… a pint-sized Duftmon." He smirked.

Magnamon didn't. He looked forwards and clenched his fists for a few moments before finally releasing a calming breath. "Yes, well… Sometimes it's nice to go somewhere peaceful and quiet," he said pointedly, his eyes glancing sideways to his comrade.

"To each his own, I suppose," UlforceVeedramon said, turning a corner and remaining oblivious to Magnamon's double meaning.

Down the next corridor, they saw Dukemon and Dynasmon standing and talking. Dynasmon was the first to notice them and he gave the two a smile. Dynasmon was dressed in a white t-shirt, on top of which he wore a big, black, leather jacket that rested on his large body. Finally, on his legs he wore dark violet dress pants.

Dukemon turned around as well and smiled. He was also in his regular attire of his white shirt and black pants.

"Good morning, Ulforce. Magnamon," the crimson knight greeted, giving Magnamon a warm grin.

Despite his increasing annoyance at Ulforce, Magnamon smiled back at them. "Good morning," he answered.

"What's the plan for the day, Dukemon?" UlforceVeedramon asked, looking at the acting leader.

"Well," Dukemon began, turning and looking at Dynasmon. "As I was telling Dynasmon, Grani says the scouts haven't seen or heard anything of interest during the night, and nothing has been brought to our attention so far."

"So it's going to be a slow day," Dynasmon said, returning the look to Dukemon.

Dukemon nodded. "Unless anything comes up during the morning or afternoon, that is. For now, we can do what we want," he told them.

UlforceVeedramon turned and looked at Magnamon. "See, Magna? Looks like you can do a little reading, after all. Or you could even have a tiny nap," he explained, smiling at him.

Magnamon gritted his teeth. That was it.

"'Little'? 'Tiny'?" he asked, his voice suddenly growing low and brimming with scathing annoyance.

"Hm?" Ulforce questioned, looking at him curiously, wondering why exactly Magnamon's voice sounded so threatening all of a sudden.

"_Really_, Ulforce?" he said, turning to him with a glare. "Can't you be a _little bit_ more creative if you're going to tease me? The height jokes get boring after hearing a hundred of them per day," he said acidly, taking the blue knight by surprise.

"What…? But I wasn't that time…" UlforceVeedramon insisted. Nevertheless, a grin formed on his face, and, against his better judgment, he went for another one. "No need to have such a 'short' temper, Magna," he chuckled, extending his hand and patting Magnamon's head.

Magnamon's eyes narrowed as a surge of rage overtook him. He suddenly reached up and grabbed UlforceVeedramon's wrist, twisting it painfully and forcefully removing Ulforce's hand from his head. UlforceVeedramon let out a cry of surprise and pain, quickly wrenching his hand from Magnamon's grasp. Due to Ulforce's sudden withdrawal, one of Magnamon's claws sliced through the blue scales on the back of his hand as he pulled away, drawing blood after a few seconds. UlforceVeedramon swore and clutched his stinging hand.

"I've had it!" Magnamon shouted, looking up at UlforceVeedramon with a glare. "You're the most annoying Digimon that I have _ever_ met! I have tried to put up with it, but you keep on treating me like a joke! Okay. I'm short! Haha. Very funny. I get it! Well, I have news for you, UlforceVeedramon: I've been a Royal Knight longer than you have! So, treat me with a little respect!"

"What are you talking about?!" UlforceVeedramon retorted, anger rising in his voice due to the sudden pain in his hand, although he was more confused than anything. It was shocking to him that Magnamon was reacting so strongly.

"I'm talking about you and your need to poke fun at everyone!" Magnamon barked, a slight growl in his words. "Is that how you prop your ego up or something? I don't know _how_ you became a knight when you're this immature."

Dukemon and Dynasmon exchanged concerned looks and stepped in between the two before this could get out of hand. "Magnamon, take it easy," Dukemon told him, putting a hand on one of his clenched fists.

Magnamon yanked his claws away from Dukemon and turned around, his back facing the three. "Just tell him to stay out of my way," he said to Dukemon and Dynasmon.

With those words, he let out a cross between a snarl and a huff and started walking down the corridor that he came from.

Dukemon made to go after him, but he felt Dynasmon's claws on his shoulder, halting him. "Just let him cool down, Dukemon," Dynasmon advised him.

Dukemon sighed and nodded, his muscles relaxing. He turned to UlforceVeedramon, as did Dynasmon. "Just how much were you making fun of him, Ulforce?" he asked with an accusatory tone.

UlforceVeedramon just kept looking at where Magnamon had been standing, stunned by the fierce outburst. "I wasn't…" he murmured, still holding the cut on his hand. "I only made a few quips. Nothing he hadn't heard before…"

"It sounds like it was one too many," Dynasmon said, folding his arms. "You can be a bit much sometimes, Ulforce."

"Yeah, but…" UlforceVeedramon spoke uncertainly. He grimaced.

Dukemon took UlforceVeedramon's hand and lifted it up so that he could inspect the wound on the back of his hand. There was a long streak of red on his blue scales, with crimson liquid smeared around cut. "You're hurt," he observed. "It's not very deep, but you should still go to Duskmon to get it cleaned up."

"It's fine, Dukemon," UlforceVeedramon told him, without the usual levity in his voice.

"It's still an order," Dukemon replied, smiling slightly. "Go see our favourite physician; I'll be checking with him to make sure that you did. Also, just stay out of Magnamon's way for a little while. I'll talk to him, alright?"

UlforceVeedramon nodded quietly and turned around, walking down the corridor where he was initially headed.

Dukemon and Dynasmon watched as the blue dragon man walked away until he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Dukemon sighed and turned to his friend. "I'm starting to realize how Alphamon feels," he admitted. "It's not easy being a leader and having to help sort out everybody's problems."

Dynasmon chuckled a bit. "I can tell. You already look a few years older. Not to mention more mature," he teased.

The red knight smirked and nudged Dynasmon's arm with his elbow as they started to walk down the corridor in the direction that Magnamon went.

"So what do you think the problem is?" Dynasmon asked, wondering about Magnamon's outburst. "Did UlforceVeedramon just make one too many short jokes?"

Dukemon folded his arms and frowned in thought. "It's hard to say. I don't know if he's just having a bad day or if it's today itself that's the problem."

"Today?" Dynasmon asked. He then blinked. "Oh, yeah. That is today, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Dukemon replied. "That could explain why he's a bit… uptight."

The purple dragon knight nodded. "Well, acting leader, what are you planning to do about it?" he asked with a grin, looking over at Dukemon as they walked.

"Hmm… Well, Craniamon and Examon have been getting along better ever since I sent them on that mission together. Maybe that's what Magnamon and Ulforce need to clear the bad air between them," Dukemon explained.

"One problem," Dynasmon pointed out, raising a claw. "You said that there weren't any missions to be done today."

"Oh yeah…" Dukemon muttered. "Then maybe I'll send them on a patrol together or get them to do a training exercise."

"That won't be as effective though," Dynasmon said. "Maybe you can wait until a real mission comes around."

"That could be anywhere between a day to a few weeks. And while we wait, they'll be stewing in their bad feelings," Dukemon replied.

"Or it might just blow over by itself."

The acting leader of the Royal Knights shrugged. "Maybe I'll just get UlforceVeedramon to apologize."

Dynasmon grinned. "Are you sure he can do that without insulting him all over again?" he asked. He then looked forwards and grinned when something caught his eyes. "Uh oh. We're in for it now."

Dukemon looked up and saw the familiar form of Duftmon walking towards them in his usual brisk, irritated gait. "I wonder what I did this time," he said, prompting a chuckle from both of them.

Duftmon walked up to them and stopped, folding his arms. "Good morning, Dukemon. Dynasmon," he greeted, although it looked as if he was having anything _but_ a good morning.

"Good morning, Duftmon," Dukemon replied. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I have a complaint that I would like to bring to your attention," Duftmon explained, looking at Dukemon.

"Is that so?" he replied, sounding thoroughly unsurprised.

"Did somebody touch your pristine hair after your shower again?" Dynasmon asked with a large grin. He reached his claws over towards the leopard knight's hair, threatening to poke it.

Duftmon nonchalantly slapped Dynasmon's hand away. "No," he said, sounding briefly annoyed. "As a matter of fact, it's worse."

"What could possibly be worse?" Dynasmon asked with a wide smirk at Dukemon.

Duftmon folded his arms. "Somebody removed the 'rules and etiquette' list that I put up on the doors of the library. Also, somebody failed to adhere to said list by putting several books back in their incorrect places. I would like you to look into this, Dukemon," he told him calmly.

Dukemon looked at Duftmon with the blandest stare. "My empathy for Alphamon just turned into sympathy," he muttered.

Dynasmon put his claws into the pockets on his jacket. "'Rules and etiquette' list?" he asked. "You mean that list that says things like 'No talking in the library' and 'You must put all of the books back in alphabetical order and in their proper categories based on genre'?"

"Yes. Exactly," Duftmon said, looking at Dynasmon with a sharp glare.

"Well, it wasn't me," Dynasmon said, grinning as he put his hands up in front of himself.

"Don't worry. You're the _last_ person I would suspect to be involved in any book-related crimes," Duftmon quipped. "That would involve going _near_ the castle library for once."

Dynasmon stuck his tongue out at him. "If they're called 'book-related crimes'… then they're not actually crimes. Did this dastardly culprit put a 'K' book in the 'J' section?" he countered with a laugh.

"The wrong genre, nitwit," Duftmon retorted. "Explain to me how a guide on projectile trajectories fits into the category of 'historical nonfiction'. However, I doubt that you could."

Dukemon raised his hand before the two could go deeper into their argument. "Look, Duftmon," he said, prompting the knight to turn and look at him. "It's the castle library, not your personal library. Even if you do use it the most, you can't make rules for it, and everyone else can't be expected to adhere to your unofficial rules just to appease your OCD."

"Hmph," Duftmon scoffed. "I am not obsessive-compulsive. I simply show an adherence to organization and order. They make life more efficient and they're also a major factor as to why my strategies are flawless. Chaos and disorder are unacceptable."

"Even so, my point still stands," Dukemon replied. "If somebody puts a book or scroll in the wrong spot, just move it back yourself. You always do anyways."

"Very well," Duftmon reluctantly complied. As he turned around to walk away, he gave Dukemon a lingering glance. "The leadership here has gotten lax as of late…"

With that, he started walking back down the corridor. Dukemon shook his head and chuckled.

"Careful, Duftmon!" Dynasmon called out after him. "That almost sounded like you were complimenting Alphamon!"

Duftmon stopped walking. After a few moments, he started walking again, grumbling to himself.

Dynasmon chuckled and looked at Dukemon. "That could have been worse."

Dukemon grinned. "On the contrary, I don't know how Alphamon stands it."

"Well, you're handling him a lot better now," Dynasmon pointed out. "You didn't try to pummel him or anything."

"If it's just Duftmon being Duftmon, I can handle it," Dukemon replied. "It's when he starts making personal attacks on Digimon like Examon or Sleipmon, for example, that he angers me."

Dynasmon nodded understandingly. "It's easier just to ignore it or laugh it off," he said. "At least, that's what I do. I can't see him changing anytime soon, can you?"

"Not really…" Dukemon admitted.

It was then that Dukemon could see a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Grani flying down the wide, stone corridor towards them.

Dukemon smiled. "Hey, Grani!"

"Dukemon," he said, stopping in front of them sharply. He gave Dynasmon a brief nod before looking at Dukemon with a sense of urgency. "I need to speak with you."

"Is something wrong?" Dukemon asked, his smile being replaced with a concerned frown.

"It's one of my scouts," Grani explained. "There may be a problem."

* * *

><p><em>Last night…<em>

One of the Digital World's moons glowed dimly, illuminating the night if only a little. The scattered cloud drifted through the starry sky, occasionally floating over and concealing the moon. One cloud slowly passed by, allowing it to emerge once again. It cast an eerie light down on the ruins below, creating an even more ominous atmosphere.

The ruins stood in a level grassland, neighbour only to the occasional tree sprouting up in the grass. There wasn't anything else but grass around for kilometers. The stone vestiges were that of a hollowed out keep, worn down by weather. It was unclear whether the keep had been destroyed by time or by a digimon attack long ago. The unkempt grass and vegetation began to overgrow and crawl up some of the ruins. Half of the ruined keep had collapsed, leaving only a semicircular stone exterior and a few walls and staircases leading up to the low, fifteen-foot ramparts.

However, in the middle of the hollowed ruins was the flickering of a small campfire. Amidst the crackling of the flames were the faint sounds of harsh whispers.

"Put that out!" whispered a long, reddish-orange, winged serpent digimon, who lay on the ground beside a large rock. The flames reflected off the metal helmet that sat on his horned, draconic head. The helmet seemed to be made of the same metal that made up his hands, which were a cross between cannons, claws, and mechanized clamps.

"But I can't sleep," the digimon sitting by the campfire replied, looking over at the Megadramon. A black-furred, bipedal, canine digimon sat cross-legged in front of the fire. The cyborg wolf had metal fists and a jetpack attached to his back.

The Megadramon sighed. "Then go walk around until you're tired. You're putting a big target on our hideout with that fire," he explained.

"I don't know," the BlackMachGaogamon replied, scratching the fur on his neck with a finger. "Nobody's going to be out here in the middle of the night."

"What about the Royal Knights' patrols? Cripes, you can be dense sometimes," Megadramon said.

"We're still in the middle of nowhere," BlackMachGaogamon insisted. He looked around at the other digimon who were sleeping in the ruins. There was a large, purple horse man digimon who slept with his arms around an oversized conch shell: an Indaramon, a green, humanoid bug digimon: a JewelBeemon, and a four-armed, four-winged chimera digimon whose body seemed to be made up of all sorts of digimon parts: a Chimairamon. BlackMachGaogamon turned back to Megadramon. "They wouldn't patrol all the way out here, would they?"

"Look, just put it out," Megadramon ordered. "We don't exactly have many Mega levels here if a Royal Knight decides to pay us a visit. BanchoLeomon put me in charge while he and the others were gone, so what I say goes."

"Not anymore," a husky voice spoke.

Megadramon quickly got off of the ground and BlackMachGaogamon swung around. A dark figure walked past the stone wall and was revealed by the light of the campfire. The fire revealed the figure to be BanchoLeomon. He raised his bandage-wrapped foot and stomped it down on the fire, snuffing it out in a plume of cinders and smoke.

"BanchoLeomon!" Megadramon exclaimed in surprise, waking the other three sleeping digimon up from their slumbers.

It was then that he and BlackMachGaogamon noticed that BanchoLeomon was clutching his left bicep and wincing in pain.

"Boss, you're hurt," BlackMachGaogamon said, seeing the burn marks on his arm.

BanchoLeomon turned his head and spat. "Worse… I lost my favourite jacket," he hissed, playing off the concern about his wounds.

"Where are the others?" Indaramon asked, walking over and looking around.

"Dead," he spat.

"What?! The JewelBeemon bandit asked in shock. "What do you mean 'dead'?!"

"What the hell do you think I mean?!" BanchoLeomon growled. "I mean dead. Deleted. Reformatted. Fertilizing the grass with their data particles."

"What happened?!" Megadramon demanded.

BanchoLeomon snorted. "It was those damn Royal Knight pricks," he snarled, clenching his fists with anger. "They showed up just as we were doing one of our robberies."

"The Royal Knights?" the Chimairamon bandit asked. "What ones?"

"Alphamon and Omegamon," BanchoLeomon told them. "Some OuRyuumon guy was there too."

"How'd you escape?" BlackMachGaogamon asked.

"Once they killed the others, I had to make a dash for the river. They tried to stop me, but I managed to get away. That was when I got these," he explained, pointing to the burns on his arm. "I kept swimming downstream until I was close enough that I could walk back here."

"Damn do-gooder tin cans," JewelBeemon muttered.

BanchoLeomon let out a 'hmph' and turned his head. He looked up at the night sky in thought. In his peripheral vision he could see the moon. It was in that moment that something passed over the moon, blocking out its light for only a moment.

BanchoLeomon tensed up. It was way too quick for it to be a cloud. The lion man slowly and calmly turned to Megadramon. "Megadramon…" he spoke, his voice deep and serious. "Don't look."

"Don't look at what?" Megadramon asked, frowning in confusion at him.

"Behind me…" BanchoLeomon spoke in a low voice. "We have a guest. Don't make it look like you're looking."

Megadramon's face dropped, but he slowly nodded. He kept facing BanchoLeomon, while his eyes subtly looked past him, into the night sky. He could see stars and clouds disappearing and then reappearing as the figure passed in front of them. He could make out the silhouette of a large eagle digimon as the figure passed in front of a cloud for a second.

"Can you take 'im down…?" BanchoLeomon asked him.

Megadramon nodded as he locked his missiles into place. "Just waiting for him to circle around again…" he replied.

The winged serpent patiently waited as the flying digimon in the distance came around for another pass. It felt as if it was taking hours. When he could see that the eagle digimon was heading in the direction that they were in, he nodded to BanchoLeomon.

BanchoLeomon nodded slowly. He then dropped, swiftly ducking.

Megadramon sprung into action. He rapidly brought up his claws and aimed the cannons at the digimon. "Genocide Attack!" he shouted. His cannons exploded with terrifying whistling sounds as clusters of organic missiles ripped from each cannon. There were seven missiles in each cluster, each grey missile grinning savagely as they sailed through the air. They fanned out during their flight, making them harder for the giant bird to avoid.

The Aquilamon who had been stalking them saw the missiles shooting towards him and his eyes widened. He pulled himself into a nosedive in a desperate attempt to avoid them.

However, Megadramon fired off a third Genocide attack, sending another cluster of missiles lower than the other two. They headed right for the red, horned eagle's flight path, giving him zero room to escape.

Aquilamon cursed under his breath. Even with the wind sailing past his ears, he could still hear the shrieks of the missiles growing closer and closer. He pulled up and flapped his wings violently, stopping his descent. He looked towards the incoming missiles and glared. He had only a matter of seconds to defend himself.

He opened his beak and let out a deep, eagle-like trill. "Blast Laser!" he shouted, releasing a single ring of supersonic power from his beak. The wave slammed into the lead missile, right as it closed in on him. The missile crumpled before detonating, creating a heavy blast that engulfed Aquilamon. The large bird was thrown back and the other began exploding, some right in front of him and some hitting him. The explosions ripped through the sky like fireworks.

Megadramon watched with a grin as the Aquilamon was blasted out of the air and sent crashing to the ground. "Bull's eye," he said, lowering his smoking cannons once it was clear that the bird wasn't getting back up.

BanchoLeomon smirked. "Come on. Let's go see what we've caught…"

* * *

><p>Magnamon walked down the castle corridor that led to the war room. He was pleased that he had decided to wear his armour that day, after all. To Magnamon, it looked like he was right to, as it saved him time while UlforceVeedramon would have to get changed.<p>

However, he didn't want to think about that name or that digimon. It only served to anger him. Instead, he thought about what this meeting was about. It was obviously a mission, since they were being called to the war room, but he wondered what it was this time.

Magnamon heard two sets of footsteps behind him. One belonged to RhodoKnightmon and the other belonged to Craniamon.

"Do you know what this mission is about, RhodoKnightmon?" Craniamon asked him.

"I'm not sure," RhodoKnightmon replied. "Though I did hear that one of Grani's scouts disappeared last night. Perhaps it has to do with that?"

Magnamon frowned and thought to himself. After a few seconds, he glanced over his shoulder. "Don't try to get this mission, Craniamon," he told him in a firm tone that wasn't often heard from Magnamon. "Please…"

Craniamon looked at Magnamon silently for several moments before folding his arms. "…If you insist."

"You giving up a mission willingly?" RhodoKnightmon asked, looking at Craniamon. "What's next? Duftmon inviting me to bed?"

Craniamon rolled his eyes. "I may love the challenge, but I'm not greedy," he replied. He eyed Magnamon carefully. "Besides… it wouldn't feel right."

"Well, we'll see what Dukemon has to say. He might have a preference for which of us goes," RhodoKnightmon reminded him.

"True," Craniamon said.

Magnamon continued walking, adjusting his arm bracers as he went. The three Royal Knights approached the war room. Magnamon felt his insides tense when he saw a familiar figure in the door. It was UlforceVeedramon, dressed in his suit and armour. He seemed to be waiting for them.

UlforceVeedramon stiffened up and became more attentive when he saw Magnamon walking towards him. "Hey, Magnamon," he spoke up, trying to start a dialogue with him after what happened earlier.

Magnamon turned his head away and ignored him as he passed by and entered the war room.

Craniamon raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with RhodoKnightmon before they both looked at UlforceVeedramon. "What was that about?" Craniamon asked him.

"Nevermind," UlforceVeedramon muttered dejectedly, walking in and heading to the opposite side of the room that Magnamon went to.

Craniamon shrugged and walked in to join the others with RhodoKnightmon.

Dukemon stood on the opposite side of the room next to Grani, both on the other end of the map table. "That looks like everybody," Dukemon said. He looked around at the gathered knights, though his eyes rested on Magnamon the longest. "Let's get down to business."

Sleipmon stepped forwards a few steps so that he stood next to Examon. "What's up, Dukemon?" he asked.

Dukemon turned to his winged friend. "Do you want to take this, Grani?" he asked the Zero ARMS.

Grani nodded and gestured to the 3D topographical map that was brought up on the map table. It showed largely flat grassland with a river at the far end of the table. "Last night, one of my scouts was assigned to patrol this sector. Typically it's a fairly quiet area with mostly grass fields and one or two small villages. There are very few areas of interest or little history of notable activity. It used to be a border of a kingdom, so there's a few old keeps and lookout towers, but that was ages ago and those structures are long abandoned and dilapidated."

"So what's the problem?" Duftmon asked impatiently.

"That scout – Aquilamon – hasn't returned and his shift ended in the middle of last night," Grani replied.

"Perhaps he found an inn at one of the villages you mentioned," RhodoKnightmon suggested.

UlforceVeedramon grinned. "Yeah. Maybe he had a few too many drinks and found a cute girl," he suggested.

"Take this seriously, will you," Magnamon muttered, although not looking at Ulforce.

The dragon man in question rubbed the back of his neck and looked down with a sheepish expression.

"No," Grani replied. "Aquilamon was always punctual and professional. That would be unbelievably out of character for him."

"So what do you suggest?" Examon asked, looking at Grani curiously.

Grani turned to look at him. "There was something else. Another of my scouts, who was patrolling the adjacent sector, said she thought she heard a series of explosions coming from that area. When she went to investigate, she said she could definitely smell smoke and gunpowder."

"Did she not look around for him?" Duftmon asked.

"She did for about a half hour before deciding to return and report this to me," Grani explained.

"What do you think happened?" Sleipmon asked.

"I can only hope that he's not badly hurt or worse…" Grani said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"It sounds like he might have come across something that he shouldn't have," Dukemon suggested, placing his hand on Grani's back. "Bandits, maybe?"

"It is possible," Duftmon supposed to himself. He folded his arms and thought. "It's a pretty quiet area, as you said. What better place for bandits to make their hideout than a place that receives minimal patrols? Suppose Aquilamon came across them and the bandits took him down to ensure their secrecy."

"That thought crossed my mind," Grani concurred. He nodded to Dukemon, who swiped his hand across the map table, causing it to zoom in to a specific location. He then pressed a button that highlighted a multiple of points on the map with red indicators. They were all clustered together in somewhat of a pattern. "These markers are where my scout said she saw the impact craters from the explosions. It was also this area where the smell of smoke and gunpowder was the strongest. As you can see, they fall in somewhat of a linear pattern, all just south of this abandoned keep up here."

"So, if we're going by that logic, we can guess that the missiles were fired from the keep, and that the keep is the bandits' hideout," Dukemon added.

"What if there are no bandits?" RhodoKnightmon asked. "This is all just supposition, after all."

"We still need to look for Aquilamon," Dukemon replied. "Or at least figure out what happened."

Grani nodded. "We don't need any fancy tactics for this. Just a careful reconnaissance mission. And there's a chance that it could become a rescue mission," he explained.

Dukemon nodded in agreement. "Be prepared for that possibility, so err on the side of caution. Aquilamon could have been captured," he advised. He looked around at the knights. "I want two of you to go. I'll leave the planning to you."

"Who?" Examon asked, looking around.

"Magnamon and UlforceVeedramon. I want you two to go," Dukemon said, looking at the two of them. "At approximately midnight tonight."

Magnamon stared at Dukemon blandly. "…I don't think so," he replied. "At least, not with him."

Dukemon looked at him with surprise. "…What?"

"I know what you're trying to do, Dukemon," Magnamon said, frowning and folding his arms. "It's the same thing that you did with Craniamon and Examon. You want me and him to work together so that we can sort out our differences."

Craniamon swerved to look at Dukemon with outrage. "…That's what that was about?!"

"It may have worked in that case, but it's a very dangerous game to play when Aquilamon could be a hostage," Magnamon reminded him.

Dukemon folded his arms. Now that he had been called out on it, he couldn't bring himself to lie. "I was thinking more of getting two birds with one stone. No pun intended…"

Magnamon sneered. "I don't want to work with him, Dukemon. I refuse to!" he firmly told him. "I don't need his help. I can do this on my own."

"Magnamon…" Dukemon said, sounding a cross between disapproving and attempting to make him see what he was saying.

"I'm a Royal Knight for a reason!" Magnamon stubbornly said. "I may be short and not as buff as most of you, but I can more than hold my own by myself. I wasn't picked to be a Royal Knight just because I'm cute or funny or whatever you want to call me. I'm sure that's easy to forget."

UlforceVeedramon started walking over to him. "Magna, I never said tha-"

"Yes, you did," Magnamon sharply interrupted, turning to stare at him. "You did every time you made one of your stupid little jokes. And before you call me overly sensitive, I know that I'm not the only one who gets annoyed by you."

The other Royal Knights looked away uncomfortably, not wanting to confirm or deny the claim. They didn't want to get involved in the feud.

"He has a point," Duftmon spoke up.

Well, not including Duftmon, that is.

"So, no, Ulforce. You're not coming with me," Magnamon told him.

Dukemon decided to step in and try to put things right. "You don't get a choice, Magnamon," Dukemon angrily spoke, raising his voice.

Magnamon growled and pivoted, locking eyes with him.

"You're acting childish. Either you two sort this out and go on the mission together or I'll pick somebody else to go instead," Dukemon said, glaring back at him.

Magnamon turned away. "…Fine," he muttered. Before Dukemon or UlforceVeedramon could get another word in edge-wise, Magnamon stormed out of the war room in a silent huff.

Dukemon sighed and raised his hand to rub his forehead.

Dynasmon noticed Dukemon's action and smirked. "Now you really _are_ starting to look like Alphamon," he teased.

"What does he do about the headaches?" Dukemon muttered to himself. He looked up at the Royal Knights. "Well, that's that, I guess. Meeting dismissed. Everyone but Ulforce can go about their day."

As the Royal Knights started to clear out of the war room, UlforceVeedramon rubbed the back of his neck. "What should I do, Dukemon?" he asked, hoping for some sort of advice.

"Be as agreeable as possible," Dukemon replied, walking over and patting his shoulder. "I don't quite know what's going on in Magnamon's head right now, but I do know that he doesn't usually stay angry for very long… Just don't give him a reason to be angry at you."

"Don't you think he's overreacting a bit?" UlforceVeedramon asked. "He's acting like I broke his favourite toy."

"Yeah, you have a point," Dukemon conceded, sighing. "But I also know that he's feeling this way for a reason…"

"Yeah…" UlforceVeedramon murmured, scratching at his bandaged hand. "We'll just try and focus on Aquilamon."

Dukemon nodded. "Go do whatever you need to do to prepare."

UlforceVeedramon smiled a bit. "Hopefully these eleven hours will fly by…"


	14. Chapter 10 Part 2: Waiting on a Miracle

**Chapter 10: Waiting on a Miracle (Part II)**

Nine hours later, UlforceVeedramon strode down one of the castle hallways, looking around intently. The sun had set since set, and torches guided the way through the headquarters. It was about the time that UlforceVeedramon and Magnamon needed to start getting ready to set out.

"Where is he…?" Ulforce muttered to himself, peering into almost every room and corridor that he passed.

He speed walked to the end of the passageway before turning around the corner, heading into the staircase that led down to the first floor. "Woah!" he exclaimed, staggering back suddenly.

Sleipmon instinctively reared back on his four hind legs and trotted backwards before bringing his front legs down. "Sorry, Ulforce. Nearly trampled you there," he said, smiling sheepishly as he rubbed the nape of his neck.

"It's okay," Ulforce insisted, smiling a little. "Uhh… Have you seen Magnamon? We have to head out soon."

"Sorry. I haven't," Sleipmon replied. "Do you want help looking for him?"

"Yeah, sure," UlforceVeedramon replied.

Sleipmon turned around on the stairs and began to head back down, UlforceVeedramon following behind him. "I take it you checked his room?" Sleipmon asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I just came from there," Ulforce replied, fiddling with the V-Bracelets on his wrists.

"Oh. Well, he wasn't in the library. I was just in there," Sleipmon explained.

"I checked nearly everywhere," the cobalt knight said, frowning.

Sleipmon walked out of the bottom of the staircase and into the castle foyer. "Do you think he's avoiding you?"

"Probably…" UlforveVeedramon admitted.

"Mind if I ask what happened?" the cavalier asked him.

"It's a long story," the dragon replied, walking past him and leaning against one of the pillars. "Just put it down to me having a big mouth."

Sleipmon nodded. "Well… why don't we ask one of the guards? It's possible that he went outside."

UlforceVeedramon nodded. "Good idea," he said, walking from the foyer into the stone hall that led to the exit.

Sleipmon walked alongside him, sauntering down the stairs. They reached the end of the hall and Sleipmon pulled the doors open. The Knightmon flanking the door on each side perked up and stood at attention as the two walked out.

UlforceVeedramon looked at them. "Hey, guys?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir UlforceVeedramon, Sir Sleipmon?" one of them replied.

"Did you see Magnamon anywhere?" the blue Royal Knight queried.

"Yes," the Knightmon guard replied.

UlforceVeedramon looked at Sleipmon with a grin before looking back at him. "Great. Where?"

The Knightmon pointed forwards, into the dark blue of the night. UlforceVeedramon followed his finger and saw that he was pointing to the front gate of the wall. "He left through there. About an hour ago," the guard explained.

"When we asked, he said that he was going to do a mission with this really serious voice," the other guard added.

UlforceVeedramon's heart dropped.

"…Crap."

* * *

><p>Magnamon walked through the dead of night, backed only by the stars in the sky. He stealthily trekked through a grass field, making use of the few pieces of concealment that he could. He felt the cool, night wind quietly whistle as it blew across the field and swept across his scales. Ahead of him, he could see the moon beaming down on the landscape, making it slightly easier for him to see in the dark. He wasn't especially partial to night missions, since his armour and attacks were anything but stealthy, but Magnamon was a Royal Knight, so he didn't let it bother him. There was a job to do and Magnamon was determined to do it.<p>

"_I'll show them_…" he thought to himself, frowning as he walked. "_I'll complete this mission alone. I don't need Ulforce's or any of their help. I'll remind them why I was made a Royal Knight…_"

A few minutes passed and Magnamon stopped behind a large tree. He could make out something up ahead of him. About forty meters in front of him, he could make out a medium-sized formation of stone. It was a large piece of wall that had collapsed and eroded on each side at the front, making it look more like a precarious stack of stone bricks and mortar than a wall.

Behind it, Magnamon could see a more identifiable stone structure. The semi-circular ruins of a structure, flanked on each side by stairs that led up to a second level where the ramparts were. The ramparts didn't go very far, as they were caved in after several meters in each direction too.

Magnamon smiled to himself. That had to be the ruined keep that Grani mentioned. He recognized the shape from the map. Now that he found it, he had to see if he could find Aquilamon, and possibly the supposed bandits as well.

The Royal Knight silently traipsed out from behind the tree, going forwards so that he was concealed by the shadow of the destroyed wall, which the moon cast in his direction. He slinked along the wall, making sure that his armour didn't scrape against the rough rock. When he reached the end of the wall, he slowly peered out, looking through a gap that had been created whenever the stone had given way.

He looked at what was past the wall and saw grass and shrubs littering the ground between the wall he was at and the more dominant ruins of the keep. The darkness concealed most of what lay beneath the hollowed out guard post, but Magnamon thought that he could make out what looked like an extinguished campfire. He could definitely smell smoke and ashes on the wind.

Deciding it was safe to be a bit more adventurous, Magnamon looked around the wall further. It was then that he noticed something to the left, on the other side of the wall. He saw a large, bird-like foot, complete with sharp talons. He turned his head, following the foot. It was attached to a leg, which was attached to a large body of red feathers.

Magnamon's eyes widened. It was the Aquilamon scout. He looked the bird over and saw that Aquilamon was lying on his side, his body tied up with rope so that he wouldn't be able to fly away. Tufts of his feathers were ruffled up here and there, and there was more than one cut on his body.

"_So, they were right_," Magnamon thought to himself, his eyebrows furrowing.

The Royal Knight immediately went on the defensive. He shrunk back behind the cover of the wall and looked around cautiously. He knew there were bandits around now, and he wanted to make sure that they wouldn't ambush him. After looking all around him, he was satisfied that they weren't nearby.

"_Well, I found Aquilamon now…_" Magnamon thought to himself. He shook his head and looked up with an air of determination about him. "_No… I won't go back. Not yet. This isn't a recon mission anymore. Now it's a rescue mission, and I'll be the one who rescues him,_" he told himself. "_I'm the Knight of Miracles, after all._"

With that, Magnamon quickly stepped out from behind the wall and crept behind the bound Aquilamon, so that he was concealed between the ruined wall and the bird's back. The Aquilamon, who had been unable to sleep given his predicament, glanced behind him when he noticed something moving. His face lit up with surprise and relief when he recognized the Royal Knight. "Wha?" he murmured lowly, "Magnamon, Sir?"

"Shh," Magnamon hushed him in a whisper. "Don't draw attention. I'll get you out of here."

Aquilamon gave him a look of agreement.

"First, where are the bandits?" Magnamon questioned, getting behind his head and attempting to see over it.

Aquilamon nodded with his head towards the shadowed semi circle of ruins and the ramparts, which stood about twenty meters away, opposite to them.

"How many are there?" Magnamon whispered.

"Six," Aquilamon whispered in response. "A BanchoLeomon, a Megadramon, a BlackMachGaogamon, a JewelBeemon, a Chimairamon, and an Indaramon. The Chimairamon could be a Mega too; I can't tell." He looked at Magnamon out of the corner of his eagle eyes. "Are you alone?"

"I can handle them," Magnamon assured him. "Don't underestimate me."

"I wasn't, sir," the avian digimon whispered.

Magnamon gazed towards the ruins. "…I'll untie you afterwards. It's important that I can ambush them before they see me. I can't do that when they see you flying away."

Aquilamon nodded. "Don't worry about me," he said in assurance.

Magnamon gave him a comforting pat on the back before walking out from behind the eagle digimon. He treaded through the grass carefully, looking around guardedly but giving special attention to the dark alcove created by the ruins.

He slowly walked to the left, trying to approach the rubble-lined recess in a way that made his approach more concealed. He didn't know where the bandits were positioned, so he had to be careful. At the back of his mind he started to think that this would be easier if Ulforce were here, but he quickly discarded that notion. He was a Royal Knight; things were expected to be testing.

As he grew closer to the ruins, he could begin to hear hushed voices. He slowly took cover behind one of the two stone staircases which led up to the ramparts, the other of which being located symmetrically on the opposite side of the dark recess. It separated him from the alcove, where the voices were coming from.

"I'm getting tired of looking at that overgrown pigeon over there," the JewelBeemon said, glancing over at the bound Aquilamon down by the wall.

"So, go to sleep," Indaramon said, sitting up. He nodded to the Megadramon. "We're not tired anyways. We'll keep an eye on chicken legs."

"Whatever," the JewelBeemon said. "I don't know why we're even keeping him anyways."

"Duh. As a hostage," Megadramon responded. "You heard what he said when BanchoLeomon was roughing him up; he's a scout for the Royal Knights."

"So? Does he think the Royal Knights are gonna pay ransom for him? Doubt it. It's more likely that they're going to come after us," JewelBeemon said, frowning.

"I doubt they'll send the whole team after us," Indaramon said. "I'm sure the boss knows what he's doing."

"I sure hope so," JewelBeemon muttered. "Those other Royal Knights took out AtlurKabuterimon, Woodmon, and Antylamon. I'd rather not end up like them too…"

"Maybe he's using the bird as bait," Megadramon suggested. "They send a Royal Knight or something looking for him and then we all ambush that guy."

"If that's the plan, you're all doing a terrible job," a voice said.

The three bandits all jerked their heads towards the unfamiliar voice. It came from deep into the dark alcove, but as far as they knew, only the other sleeping bandits were in there. Megadramon then looked up and his eyes widened.

There was a figure standing on top of the ramparts. All they could see of him was a dark silhouette standing against the bright, full moon behind him. The silhouette stood in a heroic, yet intimidating pose, his arms folded and pivoted slightly sideways as he loomed over the bandits below.

"What the hell?!" Indaramon demanded.

Megadramon squinted and looked closer. "It's Magnamon!"

"That's right. And nobody captures a member of my Order and gets away with it," Magnamon said, glaring. The turbines in his shoulder and hip guards began to rev up, sending out golden particles as they turned to their attack function. "Plasma Shoot!"

A flurry of missiles launched from the missile ports in Magnamon's shoulder guards and hip guards. They were small in size, but the missiles soared through the air at high speeds, all eight of the missiles descending on the bandits aggregated within the alcove.

A series of eight explosions bloomed in bursts of fire, torn up grass and gold radiance. He had made sure to aim around the bandits. The blasts rocked the bandits below, knocking them around like ping pong balls before sending them skidding across the grass and dirt. Magnamon jumped backwards onto the rampart as the heat and fire rose and the last vestiges of the keep collapsed in a cloud of smoke and dust.

Magnamon looked down at smoke-filled alcove. He could hear the yells and growls of the bandits as they struggled to orient themselves. The Royal Knight was about to jump down to use the smoke and confusion to his advantage, but he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

A figure lunged through the smoke, all the way up to the top of the fifteen foot wall where Magnamon stood. BanchoLeomon emerged and slashed vertically downwards with his Dankon sword. "Shishi Raouzan!" he roared, swiping down the tanto strongly.

Magnamon dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding being cleaved. The sword slammed into the stone ramparts and sent large fractures all the way down the wall. The stones below began to burst outwards, the wall beginning to collapse.

Magnamon sneered and jumped backwards, into the air, as he angled his missile ports. "Plasma Shoot!" he shouted, unleashing a second salvo of missiles, straight into the wall where the BanchoLeomon was standing. Just as the missiles hit their mark, BanchoLeomon leapt away as well. The ordnance exploded, shattering what little left there was of the wall in bursts of stone. Shards and fragments of rock showered the ground and a second dust cloud emerged.

The Royal Knight landed amidst the fog of dust and sediment, on his guard now more than ever. He could hardly see around him due to the thick haze, but he knew that the bandits wouldn't be able to see either.

He dashed through the smoke, his clawed fists raised.

"Boss!" Megadramon's voice called out. "BlackMachGaogamon's unconscious! I can't find Magnamon or anyone else!"

"I'm over here!" Indaramon's voice sounded out. The voice came from somewhere in front of Magnamon, so he began to head towards it.

"Use your wings to blow away the smoke, idiot!" BanchoLeomon told Megadramon.

Magnamon scowled a bit. He had been hoping to take advantage of the smoke cover, but it looked like he would have to improvise. He felt a heavy blast of wind as Megadramon beat his wings. The smoke and dust soon wafted away, revealing the land and its occupants once again.

When the smoke was blown off to the side, Magnamon could see Indaramon standing tall, several meters in front of him. The horse digimon turned around and spotted Magnamon with a look of surprise. "Over here!" he yelled to the others.

Magnamon made a point to attack before the bandits could come to Indaramon's assistance.

"Plasma Shoot!"

Four missiles whistled as they launched from the ports in Magnamon's armour. They sailed through the air towards Indaramon.

The horse bandit seemed fazed only for a second. As the missiles closed in on him, he quickly picked up his giant shell from the ground, pointing the mouth of it towards the oncoming projectiles.

Magnamon watched curiously as the missiles disappeared inside the shell, not even exploding once inside. Indaramon grinned and aimed the shell back at Magnamon. "Adhomukha!" Indaramon shouted.

Magnamon's own missiles launched out of the conch shell back at him. The dragon dove out of the way, narrowly missing getting hit. The missiles exploded behind him and the blast sent him tumbling forwards.

"Try that again, Royal Numbskull," Indaramon taunted.

Magnamon sneered in mild annoyance. He charged at the bandit in a full speed run. Indaramon responded by slipping one of his giant arms into the cloth straps around the Bao Bei shell, intending to use it as a melee weapon, if need be.

As Magnamon closed in on him, Indaramon raised the shell high above his head, preparing to bring it down with a mighty crash. Once Magnamon was in range, he drove the giant shell down.

Magnamon lunged into the air, right at the descending shell. While he was airborne, he put all of his momentum into a swinging kick. "Magnum Kick!" As the shell fell on him like a club, Magnamon kicked with every ounce of power that he had. His golden boot slammed into the shell before it could hit him and continued through it. Fractures formed throughout the shell, and, as Magnamon's foot passed through it, the whole thing shattered.

"No!" Indaramon shouted with frustration and disbelief.

Magnamon then charged at Indaramon. "Magnum Punch!" he growled, driving his fist right into Indaramon's snout.

The bandit stumbled backwards, nearly knocked off of his feet. Magnamon followed up with a vertical kick to the horse's chin. Immediately after, he drove his fist into his jaw. He punched and kicked the Indaramon repeatedly, not giving him a chance to right himself or even take a breath.

"Magnum Punch!" Magnamon reared his arm back and slammed his clawed knuckles across Indaramon's face a final time. Indaramon's head jerked with the punch and the bandit slowly came crashing down on his back. He didn't get back up.

"_That's two down_," Magnamon thought, landing back on the ground. "_Four left_…"

"Heat Viper!" a voice roared.

A greenish blast slammed into Magnamon's back, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a pile of stone rubble. Magnamon growled in pain, feeling the strong burning sensation still clinging his to back. He slowly flipped over and sat up, looking to see who hit him.

The ground trembled when the huge Chimairamon landed, the chimera's mouth steaming with power.

"_That hurt…_" Magnamon thought, wincing a bit. "_He's a Mega level Chimairamon. I can feel it. I'm up against two Mega level digimon._"

BanchoLeomon walked through a cloud of smoke, followed by JewelBeemon. He looked at Magnamon with a grin. "You're all alone, are you?" he asked, grinning. "Just like I hoped."

Magnamon stood to his feet and glared at him. "You're the leader of this pack of bandits?" he asked. "What do you want?"

BanchoLeomon smirked. "What does any bandit want? Money! Digits!" he said with a chuckle. His face then grew serious. "A little bit of revenge for what your tin can friends did earlier would be nice too…"

"What?" Magnamon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Never you mind, midget," the BanchoLeomon taunted. "Just know that you may be a Royal Knight, but you're outnumbered."

Magnamon scoffed. "I've beaten a lot more than four digimon at once before."

BanchoLeomon pointed his sword at Magnamon. "Maybe! But never underestimate three Megas."

Magnamon frowned. "Three? Only two of you are Mega level digimon."

The lion bandit leader grinned and turned to JewelBeemon. JewelBeemon walked forwards with a smirk, slowly becoming engulfed in the light of evolution. What stepped out of the light was large, four-legged insect digimon who was as black as the night around him. He had four wings sprouting out of his back and two clawed arms. The GranKuwagamon had two long pincers coming out of his jaws. The only things that made him stand out against the darkness were white stripes ornamenting his body and the orange hair coming from his head.

"_A GranKuwagamon_…" Magnamon thought to himself with growing concern. "_Three Megas…_" He clenched his fists tightly. "_One by one, I would be able to defeat them no problem, but with all of them ganging up on me at once… it's going to be harder_…"

"Genocide Attack!" a voice suddenly screeched from behind him, taking advantage of the situation as he was absorbed in his doubts and what was in front of him.

Magnamon tensed up and started to swing around, but he was too late to do anything. The maximum salvo of Megadramon's missiles slammed into him, hitting his armour and the ground around him. Magnamon let out a surprised shout as the explosions blasted him into the air.

"Now! Attack!" BanchoLeomon shouted, jumping into action.

Magnamon landed on the ground in a roll, making sure that he would land back on his feet. As soon as he was able to look up, he saw BanchoLeomon descending on him with his sword. Magnamon grunted and sprang to his feet, quickly crossing his arms to block the slash with his gold chrome digizoid arm bracers.

"Magnum Kick!" he responded as he kept holding against the sword. He drove his foot towards BanchoLeomon, but the lion man pounced in reverse before the kick could connect with his waist.

"Heat Viper!" Chimairamon roared suddenly.

The ball of power plummeted onto Magnamon, who couldn't recover in time to defend himself. The green blast detonated around him, consuming the Royal Knight in the burning energy. Magnamon growled in pain as he was thrown into the air, still swathed in flames.

Chimairamon wasted no time in following him. The giant chimera digimon swooped over him and raised his Kuwagamon arm. He then slammed the hard, exoskeleton-encased arm down on Magnamon's body, hammering him painfully to the ground.

Magnamon let out a gasp of pain as the wind left his lungs. Wincing as he tried to get to his hands and knees in a bid to try and defend himself, he soon felt another blast of Chimairamon's Heat Viper attack crush him further into the ground. A growl of pain was torn from this throat as the detonation surged against his back. When it faded, he spat the earthy taste of dirt from his mouth and slowly stood to his feet. He was in pain and panting from his exhaustion.

"Flash Bancho Punch!" BanchoLeomon's voice resounded from behind him.

Magnamon turned around, raising his sore arms to defend himself, but his movements were too sluggish in the pained state that he was in. BanchoLeomon's fist connected with Magnamon's metal mask, energy exploding outwards from BanchoLeomon's knuckles upon contact, and sent him skidding across the ground on his back. Luckily his helmet absorbed a lot of the hit, but Magnamon still felt concussed and exhausted from the blow.

Magnamon grimaced, slowly trying to prop himself up on their elbows. "_They're working so well as a team… They're not letting me have even a second to breathe. The attacks are relentless,_" he thought to himself. "_If I could just… have a few seconds to counterattack_…"

Before he could even begin to stand, he saw Chimairamon's SkullGreymon arm swing down and bash him against the ground again. The skeletal arm then collected Magnamon in his grip, the bony fingers curling around his body. Magnamon growled, trying to fight against the hand, attempting to get one or both of his arms out of Chimairamon's hold. However, Chimairamon gave Magnamon a tight, crushing squeeze, causing the dragon digimon to give a sharp groan of pain.

"_Have to… use that attack_…" Magnamon thought under a pained grimace. "_If I could just_-!"

Before he could finish that thought, Chimairamon let go, violently throwing Magnamon through the air. Magnamon felt his back collide with something hard and painful. Before he could turn to see what it was, he felt two long, hard, black things clamp tightly around his biceps. He looked down and saw that they were GranKuwagamon's pincers binding him like a vice. GranKuwagamon then grabbed Magnamon's wrists in his claws and pinned them to his sides as well.

Magnamon grimaced and struggled against the insect desperately. "Damn it…!"

BanchoLeomon grinned. "Get the rope, Chimairamon," he told the bandit. "Now we have our _real_ hostage."

"What?!" Magnamon demanded, glaring at the lion furiously.

"Maybe the Royal Knights wouldn't pay ransom for a scout, but what about for a fellow Royal Knight?" the BanchoLeomon suggested. "That would be a handsome sum of Digits for somebody like you."

"You're even stupider than you look," Magnamon replied matter-of-factly. "They would never give in to those kinds of underhanded tactics."

"No?" BanchoLeomon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, too bad. We need _something_ to show for the destruction of our hideout and the deletion of three of our comrades. Maybe we'll just sell you to the highest bidder. You Royal Knights have made a lot of enemies over the years, haven't you? Maybe somebody who _really_ hates you will pay a nice amount of money for you."

"I haven't lost yet," Magnamon retorted, fighting stubbornly against the GranKuwagamon's hold. "It will take more than this to take down a Royal Knight!"

"Oh?" GranKuwagamon asked, crushing his arms tighter with his strong pincers. It took everything Magnamon had not to elicit any show of pain.

"We'll see," Chimairamon said, approaching him with rope stretched out in his hands.

Magnamon clenched his teeth, watching as the bandit grew closer. "_Do I have enough energy for that attack?_" Magnamon asked himself, feeling a tinge of nervousness in his heart. "_If I don't… that's it. I'll have made a complete fool of myself. Worse than that, actually. I'll be a burden to my friends when they need to come and rescue me. And for what…? To spite UlforceVeedramon? What was I thinking…?_"

The Royal Knight gave a soft sigh, watching as Chimairamon closed in and readied the rope. "_I just have to time this right…_" he thought, trying to stay as calm as possible.

Magnamon looked up and glared at the Chimairamon. The Chimairamon smirked, unaware that Magnamon was slowly activating the turbines in his armour.

Suddenly, there was a flash of cobalt blue behind Chimairamon. Chimairamon's smirk disappeared and his expression turned into one of shock and pain. The rope dropped from his hands.

BanchoLeomon raised an eyebrow and looked at the stunned chimera digimon. "Chimairamon? What are you waiting for?" he asked him. "Tie him up already."

The hybrid creature didn't reply. It was then that BanchoLeomon noticed a deep gash running through Chimairamon's back, leaking data into the air. "What?!" he demanded.

Within moments, Chimairamon burst into data particles.

Magnamon blinked in shock and confusion. That wasn't his doing; he was still building up power for his attack, as evident by the gold particles slowly drifting out of his shoulder and hip armour.

"What the hell was that?!" GranKuwagamon demanded, looking around but not letting go of Magnamon.

"Oh," a voice said calmly. "That was me. Sorry."

Magnamon's eyes widened. He knew that voice…

He turned to look to the left and saw a familiar azure form. UlforceVeedramon turned around, the Ulforce Sabres on his arms activated and glowing. He gave Magnamon a small grin.

"UlforceVeedramon…" Magnamon said, the surprise obvious in his voice.

"Another Royal Knight!?" BanchoLeomon roared.

"Rule Three of the Royal Knights' Code!" UlforceVeedramon replied with a wry smile. "A Royal Knight never leaves another Royal Knight in his time of need!"

"Get him!" BanchoLeomon ordered Megadramon, lunging UlforceVeedramon as well. "Aim for his torso! He doesn't have armour there!"

"Ultimate Slicer!" Megadramon snarled, diving down to meet UlforceVeedramon, clamping his jagged claws together to use them for cutting.

UlforceVeedramon grinned calmly and raised his Ulforce Sabres. "Oh, you noticed? All the girls stare at my midriff too."

"Ulforce!" Magnamon called out to him. "Get him over here!"

UlforceVeedramon nodded. Due to his extreme swiftness, he was able to deftly avoid Megadramon's slash. He darted past him and grabbed Megadramon's long tail. With a sharp heave, Ulforce yanked him hard towards where Magnamon and GranKuwagamon were, sending him flying back in that direction. When Megadramon attempted to right himself, UlforceVeedramon deactivated one of his swords and slammed his fist into Megadramon's chest, pushing him harder in that direction.

Megadramon winced and counterattacked on pure impulse. "Genocide Attack!" he roared, pumping a flurry of bombs from his cannons.

UlforceVeedramon grimaced and recoiled, quickly bringing up his left arm. "Tensegrity Shield!" he shouted, hastily activating the multidirectional barrier from his left V-Bracelet.

The hexagonal force field expanded all around the Royal Knight. The barrage of missiles slammed into the barrier and exploded, battering the sturdy barrier and ripping up grass and dirt everywhere outside of it.

BanchoLeomon lunged out of the way, nearly caught up in one of the explosions. "Watch where you're shooting, you idiot!" he reprimanded him.

It was then that GranKuwagamon noticed that there was something going on with his captive. Magnamon was engulfed in a golden aura and it kept on getting thicker. "B-Boss!" GranKuwagamon said loudly, gaining the BanchoLeomon's attention. "What's he doing?!"

"I don't know, but stop him!" BanchoLeomon commanded, looking between them and UlforceVeedramon.

GranKuwagamon snarled and started tightening his grip even more, now cutting off the circulation to Magnamon's arms.

Although Magnamon grimaced in pain, he refused to cease the emission of the golden aura. The light lit up the darkness around them with a brilliant gold glow. He turned to look at UlforceVeedramon with determination in his eyes. "Ul… force. Now!" he yelled to him.

"Understood!" UlforceVeedramon replied with a nod. He turned to the Megadramon who was still reeling and trying hard to get his bearings. The V-shaped crest on his blue digizoid armour began gleaming brightly, adding another light to the dark. "The Ray of Victory!"

A v-shaped ray of intense light surged from the crest on his chest. It slammed into Megadramon, searing him and throwing him the rest of the way towards Magnamon. As soon as he was near, Magnamon snarled and focused, putting much of his energy into what he was about to do next.

"Extreme Jihad!"

Magnamon tilted his head back and wrenched his wrists free from GranKuwagamon. The golden aura around his body suddenly burst and swelled outwards in every direction. It swallowed both GranKuwagamon and Megadramon up in the light of Miracles and melted them away.

BanchoLeomon swung around, shielding his eyes with his arms as the light approached him. "WHAAAT?!" he roared as the golden radiance flooded towards him, lighting up the night with an eerily beautiful glow.

After a minute, the light began to subside. The conscious bandits were gone and there was nothing left around Magnamon but a crater in the ground. Magnamon hovered in the air for a few moments, before suddenly dropping. He fell towards the ground, completely exhausted from the attack.

He knew he was going to hit the ground, and it was probably going to hurt. However, to his surprise, he felt himself land softly. UlforceVeedramon had swooped down and caught Magnamon in his arms before he could hit the ground. Magnamon opened his eyes and looked up at him, smiling weakly. UlforceVeedramon gave him an honest smile and flew him back up to completely destroyed ruins.

He landed on the ground and gently put Magnamon down on the grass.

"Did we get them all…?" Magnamon asked weakly.

UlforceVeedramon looked around the area. "I think so…" he replied.

"Aquilamon's okay?" Magnamon questioned, trying to get up.

UlforceVeedramon tried to push him back down. "He's fine," he replied, looking over his shoulder to where the bound eagle was trying to blink the spots out of his eyes after the bright attack that Magnamon performed.

Magnamon nodded silently. He soon found himself grimacing and looking away in shame. "If you want to laugh at me, you can. I deserve it," he replied guiltily.

UlforceVeedramon sighed and sat down cross-legged across from him. "I don't want to laugh at you, Magnamon…" he told him. "I just want to know what's going on in that head of yours. You were like a different digimon today. I know I'm to blame, but…"

The Royal Knight looked up at UlforceVeedramon with embarrassment. "It's more me than you, Ulforce…" he told him. He found himself forced to look away again as he said the words. "I'm… insecure," he admitted in a sheepish voice.

"Insecure?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

Magnamon nodded. "About my height. About my supposed 'cuteness'," he explained, giving a bit of an ironic yet sad grin. "About my place as a Royal Knight… All the jokes made me start to question myself. If my friends can't take me seriously, how will anybody else be able to? How am I worthy to be a Royal Knight if I'm a joke?"

"Nobody thinks that you're a joke, Magnamon…" UlforceVeedramon told him honestly.

"Not even you?" Magnamon asked.

UlforceVeedramon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "So that's what all this was about? You running off to prove yourself?"

After a moment, Magnamon slowly nodded. "It's ridiculous, isn't it? I'm supposed to be level headed, yet I got myself into that situation," he said, his embarrassment hidden behind his helmet. "It's the truth though… I went off alone to prove that I could complete the mission without you."

"I see…" the winged knight responded carefully, looking over at Magnamon.

Magnamon grimaced. "It was so childish and reckless. I don't know, Ulforce. Maybe it's today. I suppose the jokes really got under my scales and I somehow got it in my head that I needed to prove that I was worthy to be a Royal Knight or something like that," he explained.

UlforceVeedramon gazed at him with a meaningful look in his eyes. "You don't need to prove yourself to anybody, Magnamon," he told him. "Everybody respects you." UlforceVeedramon paused for a minute. "Especially me."

"You do?" Magnamon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah… I know I'm not very good at showing how I really feel," UlforceVeedramon told him sheepishly. "But to be perfectly honest, you're the digimon who I respect the most out of the Royal Knights." When he saw Magnamon's surprised expression, he smiled a bit. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Anyways, you remember when I first joined the Royal Knights, right? You were the one I had my first practice session with."

"I remember…" Magnamon said, wondering where this was going.

UlforceVeedramon grinned a bit. "I remember when I first saw that you were my opponent. I remember how cocky I was. I thought you were just this short, lanky dragon in pretty armour while I was this big, fast, flying master," he recalled.

"…Get to your point," Magnamon told him with a flat, warning glance.

Ulforce chuckled. "And then you completely dominated me in that practice fight. I mean, you wiped the floor with me," UlforceVeedramon said. "I couldn't believe it. I didn't know how someone of your stature could do that so easily. It was then that I realized that there was a lot more to you than meets the eye. You immediately gained my respect that day."

"I… never knew that," Magnamon replied, sounding genuinely surprised.

UlforceVeedramon nodded, still rubbing the back of his neck. "I owe you an apology, Magnamon. A series of them, it sounds like. I'm sorry if I offended you with any jokes I made. I really didn't mean to be insulting or condescending," he told him.

Magnamon grimaced. "Ulforce. You don't have to do that…" he answered.

"Yeah, I do…" Ulforce said, frowning. "I don't make jokes to make you feel bad about yourself. I tease you because… well, because you're my friend. I guess it's my weird way of showing you that I like you. It's the same reason I tease the others too… I know it's not the best way of showing my affection. I don't mean any offence to anyone when I do it, but I guess that's not always that obvious, is it? …I'll try to hold back on it," he offered with a smile.

"No…" Magnamon replied, smiling a bit. "You wouldn't be Ulforce if you did that."

Ulforce grinned. "Well… just tell me whenever you want me to shut up," he told him.

Magnamon's smile grew wider. "I will hold you to that," he joked.

Ulforce gave a soft laugh before quieting down. "…By the way, I know that today is the anniversary of your induction into the Royal Knights," he told him.

Blinking with surprise, Magnamon slowly sat up. "You do…?"

"Yeah…" Ulforce replied. "I suppose today is why you felt so much pressure, isn't it?"

Magnamon nodded and sighed. "I'm sure that has something to do with it, yes," he responded. He then frowned as he remembered their encounter in the morning. "Why did you pretend that you didn't know today was my induction anniversary?"

"We were going to have a small celebration for you in the cafeteria this evening. But since you didn't show up due to coming here early, well…" UlforceVeedramon awkwardly scratched his cheek, grinning a bit. "I guess in retrospect, I should have known today wasn't a good day to poke fun and play games with you."

Magnamon shook his head. "I should be apologizing to you, Ulforce. I've been horrible to you all day. I had no right to be," he told him, looking down in shame. His eyes fell on UlforceVeedramon's bandaged hand, making him remember accidentally scratching him earlier. He grimaced. "…I'm really sorry," he said softly.

UlforceVeedramon grinned. "Hey… Let's just say we both did stupid things, we both forgive each other, and leave it at that, okay? I'm sure neither of us wants a big, sappy moment, do we?" he said lightheartedly.

Magnamon chuckled a bit. "Okay, then. That sounds fine to me." A grimace of pain then grew on his face. "Rrr… "

"Are you okay?" Ulforce asked with some concern.

"Yes. I'm fine," Magnamon insisted. "It's nothing serious. I'm just sore all over…"

"Then it looks like you could use some help when we head back to the headquarters," UlforceVeedramon observed.

Magnamon opened his mouth to protest, but he thought better of it and nodded. "Very well."

UlforceVeedramon stood up and offered his hand. Magnamon took it and was pulled up to his feet. Magnamon looked past UlforceVeedramon to where Aquilamon was still lying. "I guess we had better—"

"HEY!" a voice called out from behind them.

As they turned around, a tall figure swooped down from the sky and landed in front of them. The two Royal Knights immediately reacted. UlforceVeedramon activated the Ulforce Sabre on his right V-Bracelet, and Magnamon raised his fists.

They then stopped and looked in surprise when Ulforce's beam sword illuminated the figure. It was OuRyuumon.

"Hey, hey, take it easy!" OuRyuumon said, raising his hands in front of him. "Is that any way to welcome us back?"

"Ou…Ryuumon?" UlforceVeedramon asked, turning off his sword.

"What are you doing here…?" Magnamon questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were with Alphamon and Omegamon."

"I am!" OuRyuumon replied. He then took on a wide smirk. "They're just tying up a loose end…"

"So you three are coming back?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

"Yeah," OuRyuumon said. "We were heading back towards the headquarters when we saw this bright gold light in the distance, so we decided we better check it out. I guess that was you?" he asked, looking at Magnamon.

"Yeah…" Magnamon responded, glancing up at Ulforce.

It was then that OuRyuumon looked behind them, noticing something. "…Why is Aquilamon tied up?" he asked, tilting his head.

"It's a long story," Magnamon replied. "Can you go free him, Ulforce?"

UlforceVeedramon nodded and walked over to the scout, who had been patiently waiting. After cutting him loose, they rejoined Magnamon and OuRyuumon. The four turned towards the destroyed ruins and saw Alphamon and Omegamon walking towards them, dragging the unconscious figure of BanchoLeomon. They dropped him beside the knocked out BlackMachGaogamon and Indaramon before walking over to the gathered group.

"I didn't expect we'd catch up with him again so soon," Alphamon said with a small grin, turning to look at the captured bandit. He then smiled at the group. "Hello, UlforceVeedramon, Magnamon, Aquilamon," he greeted. "It feels like it's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Alphamon, Omegamon…" Magnamon greeted with a nod and a smile. "I thought I got him with my Extreme Jihad attack."

"I thought that was you," Omegamon said, looking at Magnamon.

Alphamon nodded. "That BanchoLeomon is a slippery one. He escaped from us the other day as well. He must have been fleeing when he ran right into us a few minutes ago."

"Is that so…?" Magnamon said.

Alphamon frowned when he noticed the state that Magnamon was in. "You're hurt. What exactly happened here?"

UlforceVeedramon spoke up. "Aquilamon got captured when he came across this bandit hideout. Magnamon and I went to rescue him. They were pretty tough though."

Magnamon grimaced. "Actually… I went in ahead of Ulforce," he admitted, not wanting Ulforce to lie for him.

"I see," Alphamon responded. "Let's talk about it on the way back to the castle. Omegamon, OuRyuumon, can you help carry those?" he said, looking at the unconscious bandits.

Omegamon nodded quietly, walking with OuRyuumon over to them. Before doing the same, Alphamon looked at Aquilamon. "Are you fit to carry Magnamon on your back?"

"I can manage that, yes," Aquilamon said with an affirmative nod.

Alphamon nodded. "Good. Let's start heading back then."

* * *

><p>About an hour later, the group of six arrived back at the Royal Knights' headquarters. They handed the captured bandits over to the jailor for temporary holding at the headquarters until they could transfer them to the main prison in the territory. Despite the late hour, the Royal Knights back at the castle were still up, awaiting Magnamon's return. They were pleasantly surprised when they saw Alphamon, Omegamon and OuRyuumon with them as well.<p>

"Alphamon!" Dukemon greeted, walking over with a broad smile.

Alphamon grinned as he entered the grand hall and walked up to Dukemon, shaking his hand. "Nice to see you again, Dukemon. How have you been holding up?"

"Fairly good," Dukemon replied. "With that said, I won't be sad to hand the leader position back to you."

Alphamon chuckled. "It's harder than it looks, isn't it?"

"It's nice you see you all back," Duftmon said, though the sentiment hardly showed in his voice. "However, what exactly were you three doing?"

"I'll address that in the meeting tomorrow, Duftmon," Alphamon told him.

"I hope you will," Duftmon said, folding his arms.

Alphamon smiled. "I actually missed your impossibly high standards and your snide comments," he remarked with a short laugh.

Duftmon looked away, although glancing at Alphamon for a brief moment. "…Hmph…"

"He's so cute when he's indignant," Dukemon laughed. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders as the mantle of leader was returned to Alphamon. He no longer had to be so professional all the time, and he could act more informal like he preferred. However, Dukemon felt respect for Alphamon for having to assume that role all the time. It was no small task.

"You should go see Duskmon about those injuries, Magnamon," Examon advised, noticing the bruises on his arms and chest.

"Ah ah!" RhodoKnightmon said, stepping forwards. "Not so fast."

"What?" Magnamon said, raising an eyebrow.

"You never showed up in the cafeteria for that celebration we were having for you," Dynasmon said, folding his arms. "I'm sure all of us feel that our induction anniversaries are special days for us, so we're not about to let you go without celebrating with us."

"And I'm not about to waste all of that delicious food that I made!" RhodoKnightmon insisted.

Magnamon frowned, thinking it over a little. He didn't want to be any more trouble today, but it sounded like they went to a lot of effort.

UlforceVeedramon placed his hand on Magnamon's shoulder, smiling down at him. "Come on, Magnamon. I bet you're hungry after all that."

Magnamon smiled a bit, prompting Dukemon to take on a pleased expression. It looked like they had patched things up.

"Well…" Magnamon said, appearing to be tentatively compliant.

"I think you mean 'why yes, I would love to!'" RhodoKnightmon insisted. "I won't take no for an answer, so come along already, you!"

Magnamon let out a shout of surprise as RhodoKnightmon extended and wrapped one of his long, yellow ribbons around Magnamon's arms and upper body, impatiently dragging him down the hall towards the cafeteria. Magnamon growled and struggled against him, not liking what was happening one bit.

"H-Hey! Stop this! I said stop! …RHODOKNIGHTMON!"


	15. Chapter 11 Part 1: Protocol

(Author's Notes: Like the previous few, I split Chapter 11 into two parts. However, like what happened with "Adversary", I'm not finished the second part yet, but hopefully soon. I intend to finish Part II by early January at the latest, so stay tuned. Sorry for the long wait; I had school. Next term has a lighter work load, so I'm going to try to write this while at school too. Review, if you can.)

**Chapter 11: Protocol (Part I)**

Despite the late night prior, which included Magnamon and UlforceVeedramon's mission, Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon's arrival home, and a small induction anniversary party for Magnamon, it was an early day for the Royal Knights. Alphamon and Dukemon called for a meeting just after the break of dawn so that they could each explain to the other party what had took place while Alphamon's group was gone.

"Why so early?" Dynasmon complained, rubbing a sleep-addled eye with one of his large hands. He sluggishly trudged down the great hall towards the council room, as if he just managed to drag himself out of bed.

Walking in front of him were RhodoKnightmon and Sleipmon. RhodoKnightmon looked over his shoulder at Dynasmon. "Whining is not an attractive quality, Dynasmon."

"That's a lot coming from you, Rhodo," Dynasmon grumbled, shooting a tired look at him. "You're the laziest one out of all of us!"

"Not first thing in the morning," RhodoKnightmon chimed in reply, waggling his index finger.

Sleipmon smiled. "It's not so bad," he said to Dynasmon. "We've gotten up earlier before."

Dynasmon groaned, tiredly skulking after the two. "We went to bed so late though! And I was having such a nice dream…" he said, muttering the last part to himself.

"Oh?" RhodoKnightmon asked, looking over with interest. "I presume it was about moi."

Dynasmon shuddered at the thought. "Only in my nightmares…"

Still smiling, Sleipmon trotted forwards and entered the council room. There, the rest of the Royal Knights were present and already seated at the white, circular table.

"Good morning, you three," Alphamon greeted from the Siege Perilous.

"Good morning," Sleipmon replied, walking over and taking his seat next to Examon, who gave a polite nod.

"Is it even morning yet?" Dynasmon muttered, tiredly dragging his feet over to his seat.

Dukemon chuckled slightly. "Still not a morning Digimon, Dynasmon?" he asked upon seeing how groggy he was.

"Ugh. Can I go back to bed and have Wyvern take my place?" Dynasmon asked, referring to the dragon who he summons for his Breath of Wyvern attack.

"If that weren't so ridiculous, it would be an intriguing notion," Duftmon spoke, glancing at the violet dragon man sitting next to him. "At the very least, that beast would be better mannered than you are."

"I'll respond to that after my nap," Dynasmon murmured, slumping in his chair a bit.

Alphamon cleared his throat, commanding the knights' attention back to him. "Wake up, Dynasmon. This is an important meeting. We need to go over our findings over the past week."

"There's a lot here on our end," Dukemon explained. "We've logged our reports on the computer database, but it's still worth bringing up."

The Lord of the Empty Seat nodded at Dukemon. "Okay, then. Why don't you start and, afterwards, I'll tell everyone what we were doing."

"Okay," the former acting leader replied. "Well, remember the Anubismon and BlackMetalGarurumon that Examon came across in the United Dramonic Coalition?"

"When he ran off from his mission," Duftmon felt the need to add.

Dukemon chose to ignore the comment. "The day after you three left, they hired a bunch of Mega-level mercenaries and attacked the UDC. We intervened and they were all either captured or killed."

Sleipmon grimaced minutely and cast a short glance towards the dragon sitting next to him. Examon didn't notice.

"It turned out the two were from Lupolford," Magnamon added. He tried to avoid the temptation to claw at the bandages that had been applied to his chest several hours ago.

"Lupolford of the Free Area?" Alphamon asked, raising an eyebrow upon recognizing the name of the town. After a moment's pause, he frowned. "I vaguely remember Anubismon now. He inherited the title of mayor from his father, didn't he?"

"Looks like he did have dealings with mercenaries after all," Omegamon said lowly.

"Hmph," Duftmon grunted, folding his arms. "In any case, all's well that ends well; Examon killed the two brothers in combat and we installed a new, morally upstanding Digimon as the current mayor of Lupolford."

"I suppose that's for the better," Alphamon said with a nod. "But why attack the UDC?"

"We never did figure that out…" Examon spoke up, frowning.

"Greed, ambition, resentment, restlessness, simply evil. Take your pick of reasons," Craniamon spoke. "Those are usually why any tin-pot warlord tries to attack another group."

"Well," Dukemon spoke up. "With twelve Megas and the fact that Examon was no longer solely protecting the UDC, they could have hypothetically pulled the attack off, right, Examon?" He turned to Examon for his opinion, given that he was from the UDC.

Examon nodded. "Hypothetically. There are a lot of Ultimate level Digimon, but there aren't an abundance of Mega level Digimon in the United Dramonic Coalition. Most Digimon from the UDC who achieve Mega level end up leaving to try and achieve greater things."

Craniamon nodded. "When Digimon reach that level of power, they want to try and carve their name into the history of the world…" he said, almost as if he knew first hand.

"I suppose there's not as much left for a Mega level Digimon in the UDC," Alphamon mused. "I guess that goes for the Free Area too, if we're trying to put meaning to Anubismon's actions."

"That depends on the sort of Digimon they are," Examon offered.

"Perhaps," Alphamon responded.

"It's just a shame that it had to end the way it did," Sleipmon added somberly, recounting the foray's tragic end.

Alphamon glanced at Sleipmon and then looked back at Examon. "Yes, well, it's no use trying to guess these things. What else happened while we were gone, Dukemon?"

"Yeah, this is the more pressing topic…" Dukemon said, a thoughtful frown growing on his face. "The DADAR system detected a data anomaly up in Dusk Forest. A surge of data, to be exact. We suspected it might have been a bad evolution, so I sent Craniamon and Examon up there to check it out."

"We were right, but it was more than we expected," Craniamon spoke up. "A Tankdramon had some sort of dark evolution and became a Darkdramon."

"How was it more than you expected?" Omegamon asked. "Did things not go smoothly?"

"We subdued him in the end," Examon explained. "The problem was that he was more than a Digimon going on a mindless rampage. He was completely out of character for the Tankdramon and he was attacking us, but he was conscious enough to set traps and use hit-and-run tactics. He was smart…"

"He dark digivolved when he ran over this rift in the earth that was pouring out dark data. He said it took him over and he blacked out completely until after we forced him to revert back from his Darkdramon form," Craniamon added. "It was that rift in the ground – or more correctly – the dark data coming out of it that forced him to have a bad evolution."

Alphamon's eyes widened slightly. "I… see. That's worrisome... Did you follow up on it?" he asked with concern.

"We had our guys seal off all of Dusk Forest," Dukemon explained. "We're investigating the rift now."

"Let me read all of your findings. It's possible that this could be more severe than it looks," Alphamon said with a serious look in his red eyes.

"Uh. Sure…" Dukemon answered, a bit perturbed by the direness in Alphamon's words.

After a few moments silence, Alphamon sighed softly. "Is there anything else?"

"You already know about what happened yesterday night, so nothing else of major consequence," Dukemon explained, shrugging.

"You conveniently forgot to mention that you lashed out at me on one occasion," Duftmon reminded him pointedly.

Dukemon rolled his eyes. "I _did_ apologise…" he replied. He then added in his mind, "_And you did provoke me…_"

"Any sane Digimon would lash out at you!" OuRyuumon chimed in. He walked into the council room from the great hall and went over to stand near Alphamon.

"You could hardly be described as a 'sane Digimon'," Duftmon spoke, glancing at OuRyuumon for a single moment before turning his attention elsewhere.

"Same goes for you, kitty cat," OuRyuumon shot back with a tightening glare.

Before the argument could continue, Alphamon looked at OuRyuumon and spoke up. "OuRyuumon, if you're going to attend these meetings, you could at least come in on time," he said dryly.

"Sorry, Alphamon," OuRyuumon muttered, though he didn't sound like he meant it.

Omegamon glanced away during their interaction. "So, I guess it's our turn… Alphamon?" he said, looking at Alphamon to lead the explanation as for why they left.

"Right…" Alphamon spoke, nodding slightly and turning to the rest of the Royal Knights. "The night before we left, I was talking to KaiserGreymon over the computer. We were updating each other on recent happenings and such."

"Oh, I remember you mentioning that," RhodoKnightmon spoke up. "Something about a prophetic Baronmon dramatically screaming, 'Beware the black night!'"

"It wasn't quite that exaggerated, but yes. KaiserGreymon told me a rumour about a Baronmon in the town of Auguria making such comments," Alphamon replied. "I had a bad feeling about it, so I decided we should go up and investigate. That night, I left for Auguria with Omegamon and OuRyuumon, as you all know."

"Why tell Dukemon to keep it from us?" Duftmon asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning forwards on the table.

"I promise, I didn't keep it from you all because I don't trust you," Alphamon said reassuringly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Omegamon folds his arms and close his eyes. He had to pause momentarily before continuing. "It wasn't a guarded secret or anything. I just didn't want to distract you all from your duties in case it was nothing. That's why I brought only myself and these two."

"That's fair enough," Sleipmon replied. "So, was it nothing?"

"Yes," Omegamon succinctly said.

"Less than nothing," OuRyuumon added, placing his hands on his hips. "He admitted himself that it was basically just a dream, not a prophecy, and he overreacted."

Alphamon frowned and kept quiet. He still had his doubts about what Baronmon insisted, but he didn't have any actual proof to back up his instinct, so he didn't feel like they were worth mentioning.

"Tch," Duftmon scoffed, shaking his head. "Honestly, I don't know what you expected. A prophecy… Please…"

"Some Digimon species _do_ have the power of foresight, Duftmon," Alphamon told him, looking over at the leopard knight. "'Foolish are those who keep their minds closed.' I believe one of your favourite strategists said that, didn't he?" he said with a veiled smirk.

"Hmph…" Duftmon grunted quietly.

"I'm sorry you had a wasted trip," Sleipmon said to him.

"It wasn't a complete waste," OuRyuumon explained, starting to grin. "We got to annihilate some bandits, and the Spring Festival was in Auguria."

"The Spring Festival?" Dynasmon asked excitedly, suddenly looking a bit more awake. "I love going to that!"

"Don't worry. A larger one is coming to our region in a few weeks," OuRyuumon said to him, evidently pleased at the idea of going to another one.

"So," Dukemon spoke up, changing the topic. "Apart from that, did anything else happen while you three were in Auguria?"

Alphamon, OuRyuumon, and Omegamon all went quiet. Omegamon looked away from the two lovers with a very subtle wince. OuRyuumon in contrast, not known for being subtle, turned to look at Omegamon to see what his reaction would be and if he'd tell everybody or not.

Before anybody could begin to pick up on the pause, Alphamon spoke out. "No. Not particularly," he replied with his usual calm, confident voice.

"Yeah, what he said," OuRyuumon confirmed in a cross between his usual voice and a mutter.

Omegamon nodded silently.

Alphamon stood up in his seat. "I think that's everything. UlforceVeedramon, Magnamon, you two need to write up your reports on the mission last night, and Omegamon and I have to write our own reports to write about the Auguria journey, as well as read up on all of the reports we missed from all of you."

As the Royal Knights began standing up in their seats, the double doors to the council room opened and the black form of a horse man trotted in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sirs," the black KnightChessmon said, bowing his head apologetically.

"We were just finishing anyways," Alphamon assured him. "Yes, KnightChessmon?"

"There's a messenger waiting to see you. He's here on behalf of the mayor of Mossridge," KnightChessmon explained.

"Ah. It must be about our upcoming inspection," the Lord of the Empty Seat said. "Send him in."

As KnightChessmon nodded and left to fetch the messenger, Examon turned to Sleipmon. "Inspection?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah," Sleipmon replied. "You must have heard that this is one of our duties."

"I have, but what does it involve?" Examon inquired.

"Essentially, some of us Royal Knights are tasked with going down to the semi-autonomous towns in the Free Area at regular intervals in time. While at the town in question, we do an inspection. During an inspection, we talk to both city officials and Digimon living in the town. This is to make sure that everything is going smoothly. We find out if there are any needs or grievances of the Digimon there, we check for corruption and breaches of the law, and we basically make sure that everything is in order," Sleipmon explained.

Alphamon nodded. "That's part of the agreement for living in the Free Area. The towns abide by our laws and pay us fair taxes so that we can afford to defend and administer the area, and, in exchange, the towns are autonomous without borders and rulers; only municipal governments headed by mayors exist, so they can run things in the towns. Also, they're in close proximity to us so they can better enjoy the safety and sense of security of our protection, and the towns can trade freely with each other without the extra cost of tariffs. That is the Free Area," he explained.

Examon nodded. "So it's not too different from the United Dramonic Coalition; where it's a bunch of states that have banded together for safety and security," he said.

"Sort of," Alphamon replied. "Except it's a bit different since the UDC's states fused together to form one large federal nation, which has a central government in the capital: Dragon's Peak."

"That's true…" Examon mused.

The sound of trotting hooves grew closer once again. The knights turned towards the door and saw KnightChessmon return with a short, red-feathered bird Digimon flying behind him. Once inside the council room, the Hawkmon landed and adjusted the white feathers on his head.

"Salutations, Royal Knights," the Hawkmon said, bowing his head slightly.

"Greetings, Mister Hawkmon," Alphamon replied. "You are here on behalf of the mayor of Mossridge? Moosemon, isn't it?"

"Yes," Hawkmon responded, looking up at the comparatively tall knight.

"Is there a problem?" Alphamon asked.

"No, no problem," the winged messenger said. "The mayor was just hoping that we could have the inspection sooner than planned."

"Sooner? Why sooner?" Duftmon asked suspiciously.

"Well… the official statement is that he has family coming to visit from out of the region, but, between us, Moosemon gets very stressed and impatient waiting for these inspections. I think he just wants to get it out of the way," Hawkmon admitted.

"I see…" Alphamon said with a pensive expression. "Well, I think we can do that. How about later today?"

"That sounds terrific. You're very generous, Alphamon," Hawkmon told him. "I will go and tell him."

"Safe travels," Alphamon told him, nodding as KnightChessmon started leading the messenger out of the room. Once they were gone and the doors were closed behind them, Alphamon turned to the Royal Knights. "Two of you should do. I would go myself, but, like I said, I'm very busy already. Omegamon is as well."

Sleipmon raised his hand. "I'll go," he offered with a smile. Sleipmon enjoyed inspections more than most of the other Royal Knights did. They were relaxing, low-stress missions. He enjoyed talking to the various Digimon in the towns, and, more importantly, there was never a deletion during an inspection to date.

"Does anybody else volunteer?" Alphamon asked, looking around the table.

Dukemon spoke up. "Examon, Craniamon, and I are going to go up to Dusk Forest to see how the investigation there is going."

Magnamon was about to offer his hand, but UlforceVeedramon grabbed his wrist. "You need bed rest, remember?" he told the knight of Miracles.

"Fine…" he muttered reluctantly.

"Hmm…" Alphamon looked around the table. "…RhodoKnightmon. How about you join Sleipmon?" he suggested.

RhodoKnightmon turned and pointed at himself. "Me?" he asked, surprised. "…I would rather not, but thank you all the same."

Alphamon stared at him flatly. "Can you give me a good reason?" he asked, folding his arms.

"The potatoes in the pantry are about to go bad?" RhodoKnightmon offered, shrugging sheepishly.

"You're going, Rhodo," Alphamon told him.

"But Alphamon!" RhodoKnightmon protested, standing up. "Can't you send somebody else?"

"Why don't you want to go with Sleipmon?" the leader of the knights asked matter-of-factly.

"Hm? It has nothing to do with Sleipmon," the pink Royal Knight insisted. "He's quite cute, it's-"

"Then you won't mind going with him," Alphamon interrupted, smirking a bit. "I know you're just being lazy, RhodoKnightmon. Treat this with the same respect that you would any high-priority mission."

"Oh, fine," RhodoKnightmon huffed, folding his arms.

Sleipmon slipped his hand under his purple hair and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's fine with me. When should we leave, Alphamon?"

"Let's say after lunch. Everybody else, do as you please," Alphamon directed. He turned to Magnamon. "Except you. Duskmon did say that you needed to rest for a day or so."

"Remind me to go and get beat up by scruffy bandits too…" RhodoKnightmon muttered, walking away from his seat. "Then perhaps I'll be able to take it easy as well."

Sleipmon started heading out of the council room alongside RhodoKnightmon and the other Royal Knights. "Oh, it's not so bad, Rhodo," he insisted. "It's not like we have to sprint out to save a burning village."

"At least in that case the physical labour would be worth it," RhodoKnightmon responded.

"I don't understand you sometimes," Sleipmon said, smiling and looking at the knight. "You're lazy, but you would rather go on a physically exhausting mission to defeat bandits than you would to go on a relatively relaxed walk to Mossridge for an inspection."

"It's cost-effectiveness, Sleipmon," Rhodo replied. "Defeating bandits is more important than a routine inspection. Therefore, the extra effort put towards defeating the bandits is more justified than the effort put towards doing the inspection."

"If you say so," Sleipmon replied. "I look at it as a nice break, personally."

"Wonderful. You can do all the work, then," RhodoKnightmon answered flippantly.

The horse knight rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You could at least try to enjoy yourself…"

"Well…" the flamboyant knight mused. "Taking your shirt off might help my outlook."

Sleipmon stared at him blandly. "Maybe this will be a long journey after all…"

* * *

><p>It was now the early afternoon and the two Royal Knights had set out on their task. Sleipmon trotted down a dirt path leading south from the castle as the midday sun beat down on him from behind.<p>

"You know, I don't think this is what Alphamon meant when he said for you to travel with me," Sleipmon said, looking over his shoulder with annoyance.

On top of Sleipmon's back, RhodoKnightmon was lying down comfortably with his legs crossed and his hands resting behind his head, using the humanoid part of Sleipmon's back, as well as the long, purple hair covering it, as a pillow. "Oh, that's quite alright. He doesn't always expect us to take him literally."

Sleipmon frowned at him. Being used as a steed felt degrading to him. "Can't you walk, Rhodo?" he asked, a touch of irritation in his voice.

"I'm sure I could if I put my mind to it," RhodoKnightmon replied facetiously, though he made no evidence that he was going to be moving anytime soon.

Sleipmon glared at him emphatically. "So, would you please put your mind to it?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I don't see what the big deal is," RhodoKnightmon said, looking up at him. "I'm fairly light and you're big and strong. I know for a fact how fit you are, actually."

"That's because you check everyone out so much," Sleipmon answered flatly.

"I am lucky to be on a team with so many attractive guys, aren't I?" RhodoKnightmon said dreamily. "Anyways, it's not as if I'm as heavy as Dynasmon or Craniamon."

"You also have legs," Sleipmon reminded him. "What happens if a Digimon passes us while we're walking? How would it look? Two Royal Knights: one who's too lazy to walk, and the other being used as a mode of transportation. We would look ridiculous! That would be a big blow to our public image, not to mention our self-respect."

RhodoKnightmon sighed and sat up. "Well, you could always gallop so that nobody sees us and we arrive at Mossridge swiftly. You're one of the fastest Royal Knights when it comes to ground speed, are you not?"

"I don't want to gallop," Sleipmon mumbled, folding his arms. "I'm not arriving in town with you on my back, Rhodo."

"And you call me lazy," RhodoKnightmon said, smirking. "Come on, Sleipmon! Put those six legs to work! Mush!" With that, RhodoKnightmon brought his hand down and gave Sleipmon a firm, lingering slap on his rear.

Sleipmon stopped dead in his tracks, a look of violation quickly forming on his face. He slowly turned his head to glare at RhodoKnightmon.

The next thing RhodoKnightmon knew, he was flying through the air, landing face-first in the grass. The pink knight groaned and pulled his face out of the dirt, a few clumps of earth and plant life falling from his helmet.

Sleipmon lowered hind legs, having successfully bucked RhodoKnightmon off of his back. He placed his hands on his hips and smirked with satisfaction.

RhodoKnightmon pushed himself up before standing to his feet and brushing off his armour and sashes. "Well, that was uncalled for…"

"And that was one grope too many," Sleipmon replied understatedly. "You're definitely walking now."

The Royal Knight sighed and walked back over to Sleipmon. "Oh, very well. I suppose I don't have a choice now, do I?"

"That's good. Thanks," Sleipmon said, walking again at a relaxed canter.

RhodoKnightmon casually walked behind him, shamelessly checking him out as he followed. "_Well, at least there's a nice view, I suppose_…"

* * *

><p>Just under an hour later, the two Royal Knights approached the town of Mossridge.<p>

It had the better half of five hundred buildings by the look of it. The town stood on the east bank of a river flowing in from the north or north west. The landscape around the town was fairly level, and a slightly deeper shade of green than the grasslands around the Royal Knights' territory. There were a couple farms here and there for crop production, and a few bridges spanning and a watermill flanking the river.

As RhodoKnightmon and Sleipmon walked past a chapel dedicated to Yggdrasil on the outskirts of town, they could begin to see Digimon occupying the streets inside of Mossridge.

Sleipmon smiled as they entered the city. They received surprised and excited looks from the townspeople that they passed. Sleipmon nodded at them politely.

RhodoKnightmon was less enthusiastic, just walking beside Sleipmon and looking around. "So, we're heading to the mayor's office. Let's not stay here longer than we need to; I need to be home to supervise supper," he said to Sleipmon.

"Don't be impatient, Rhodo," Sleipmon replied to him, although not turning to the knight as he addressed the slowly building crowd with smiles and waves. "You'll give a bad impression if you act like you don't want to be here."

The pink armoured knight rolled his eyes behind his helmet. "We're here to do an inspection, not to get our egos stroked by the townspeople. I know you've only been a Royal Knight for around seven months, Sleipmon, but, trust me, it gets old after some time," he told him.

Sleipmon kept up a happy appearance for the crowd, but shot an annoyed look to his comrade. "You're so cynical. It's called relation-building. These people want protectors who have an interest in them, not aloof, condescending ones. The whole reason we're here is to talk to the townspeople. Besides, they like this sort of thing."

"As do you, as it seems…" RhodoKnightmon muttered, despite giving a few nods and courtesy waves to the crowd.

Sleipmon ignored him and continued walking up the stone street with an audible clacking from his six hooves hitting the road. The Digimon who came out to greet, praise, and chat with the Royal Knights made sure to only flank them from the sides of the streets so that they wouldn't obstruct the Knights' paths. Sleipmon stopped and started talking with a yellow frog Digimon who asked him a specific question.

"—actually, I come from a small city in the north of the continent," Sleipmon replied amiably. "Ocean Cove. I'm told I still have a bit of the accent, actually."

"Yes. Have a rose," RhodoKnightmon said somewhat offhandedly to one of the Digimon who started talking to him. He walked over to his fellow Royal Knight. "Sleipmon. We should really be getting to the town hall so that we can begin, no?"

Sleipmon turned and looked over his shoulder. "Yes, just a minute, Rhodo."

As he turned back to the Frogmon, he saw a blue figure trying to make his way through the crowd of now about thirty or forty Digimon. The figure had to weave and muscle his way past some of the Digimon in a desperate effort to get to the front of the crowd. Sleipmon could see the Digimon's red helmet disappear and reappear from behind bodies, and, every so often, he could see the tips of his blue and white wings.

Finally, the draconic body of a young Paildramon burst through the front of the crowd, panting, and stumbling unceremoniously. As soon as Sleipmon turned to look at him, he immediately stood up straight and fixed the green armour over his chest.

"S-Sleipmon, sir! RhodoKnightmon!" the young Paildramon said, trying to look as respectable as he could in front of them.

"Hello there," Sleipmon said with a smile. RhodoKnightmon was tapping his foot impatiently.

The dragon man started beaming as he began to take in that he was in the presence of the Royal Knights and one had just talked to him. "Hi! My name's Paildramon!" he exclaimed with a look of wonder and admiration in his eyes. "I'm… a really huge fan."

Sleipmon chuckled. "Are you?"

"Yeah! I've been a fan of the Royal Knights for years, and I was really excited when you joined their ranks, Sleipmon, sir!" Paildramon gushed. "I have massive respect for you - for all of you!"

The cavalier grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Thank you. That's incredibly flattering, but we're just doing our jobs," he responded.

"You're all so good at it though!" Paildramon remarked, apparently not aware about how much he was fanboying. "Is it true that through all the missions you've done, you never killed a single Digimon?"

Sleipmon paused. "Yes," he replied with a smile.

"That's amazing! That must have been really hard to do," Paildramon said.

"It can be difficult sometimes but… it's worth it," Sleipmon replied, smiling at him

"Is it?" RhodoKnightmon muttered to himself from nearby.

"That's really cool…" Paildramon said with a broad smile, looking up at Sleipmon. "I wish I could do that. Grow strong enough to protect people like you, I mean."

Sleipmon felt a warm twinge of appreciation in his heart. He smiled and put his hand on Paildramon's shoulder. "I'm sure you can. I don't know if you knew this, but the founder of the Order of the Royal Knights was Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. He was a Paildramon just like you, once," Sleipmon explained. "In fact, maybe in a year, when you're older, you could apply to join our lower ranks. There's a lot of mobility in the Order."

Paildramon's grin grew even wider and his eyes grew wide with excitement. "Do you mean it? Do you think I could?!" he asked.

"Sure, if you work hard enough," Sleipmon assured him. "You obviously have the motivation."

"Sleipmon," RhodoKnightmon spoke impatiently.

"Okay. I have to get going now," Sleipmon told Paildramon, as well as the crowd.

"W-Wait!" Paildramon spoke up. "P-Please, I mean. Can you please give me your autograph?" He quickly reached into his chest armour to pull a pencil and a scrap of paper from one of the pockets.

Sleipmon smirked softly and nodded, taking the paper and pencil to Paildramon's immense pleasure. "'To Paildramon. May your hopes be fulfilled. From Sleipmon of the Royal Knights.' How's that?" the Royal Knight asked as he handed the paper and pencil back to Paildramon.

"That's amazing! Thank you so much!" Paildramon exclaimed, gingerly taking the piece of paper so as not to crumple it.

Sleipmon nodded. "My pleasure. Now, RhodoKnightmon and I have to get going to the town hall. It's right up this road, isn't it?"

Paildramon nodded. "It's the big building about eight blocks down. You can't miss it!"

"Thank you." RhodoKnightmon took Sleipmon by the arm and started pulling him up the road, further into Mossridge. "Now, let's go before you start signing even more autographs for fanboys."

"Wait, RhodoKnightmon! Can I have your autograph too, please?!" Paildramon called after them.

"I'll give it to you when him and I are finished!" RhodoKnightmon chimed back.

Sleipmon rolled his violet eyes. "Alright. Let's go talk to the mayor."

* * *

><p>The two Royal Knights stopped in front of a building that stood larger than most of the others in Mossridge. The city hall stood about forty feet high and had a trapezoidal shape. It was made up of polished, grey stone, and sculpted into its sides were grooves for aesthetic purposes. Much more obvious, though, were the vines and ivy that crawled up the sides of the building. They made the building look more natural. In fact most of the town of Mossridge was built in a way so that there was a harmony with the natural surroundings, like the river.<p>

"This looks like it, doesn't it?" Sleipmon suggested, beginning to walk up the eight stone steps to a landing.

"Well, it does have two guards at the entrance," RhodoKnightmon said, following and eyeing the Stegomon and Gigasmon guards.

Sleipmon walked up with RhodoKnightmon beside him. "The mayor is expecting us," he explained. "May we go in?"

"Please, go right in," the stegosaurus Digimon replied, using his tail to open the door for them. "Mayor Moosemon is just inside."

"Thank you," Sleipmon spoke, walking through the doorway and onto some marble floor within an expansive lobby. The marble wasn't on the same level of quality as the flooring in the Royal Knights' castle. It was done more cheaply, but, left unexamined, it still served its purpose of leaving a good impression of the town hall to those walking in.

"Sir Sleipmon! Sir RhodoKnightmon!" a voice suddenly called amicably.

They looked up and saw a white moose Digimon walking over. It was Moosemon, the mayor of Mossridge. He had a pair of thick, branch-like antlers on his head. They were blue, a similar shade to the very finely combed mane around his neck, and the markings on his white fur, which looked like it had been freshly brushed as well. The sound of his hooves clapping against the marble floor was similar to that of Sleipmon, who stepped forwards.

"Ah, Mayor Moosemon," Sleipmon greeted, smiling.

"Greetings," RhodoKnightmon spoke as well.

"I'm so glad to see you both!" Moosemon said enthusiastically, gracing them with an overly big smile. "I've been anticipating this inspection. I hope you weren't inconvenienced by my request to make it today. You see, I have family visiting from out of the Free Area in a few days."

"It was no inconvenience," Sleipmon assured him.

"I'm sure you both must be tired after your journey. Can I interest either of you in something to eat or drink? Wine, perhaps? It's imported from Riverspring Valley."

"No, thank you," RhodoKnightmon insisted. "We should just get down to business; I'm sure you want us around for as little as possible."

Moosemon laughed nervously and turned around. "Okay. Please, follow me," he told them, leading them through a door on the left that he opened with his antlers.

RhodoKnightmon followed him with Sleipmon. He lightly nudged the horseman's arm with his elbow, ushering him to lean in. "He wants us to inspect Mossridge early, and he's trying rather too hard with us here. I feel as if he's hiding something, don't you?" the pink knight said to his comrade in a murmur.

"I think it's just his nerves," Sleipmon answered. "That's what that Hawkmon admitted to us. It's not unusual for people to get nervous about our inspections."

"I think Duftmon's correct; you are rather naïve, Sleipmon," RhodoKnightmon said to him. "Even if you're correct and he _is_ nervous, then that means there is something that he is nervous about. Something he doesn't want us to find, perhaps?"

"I don't know why everyone who isn't cynical suddenly has to be labelled as 'naïve'," Sleipmon protested. "Haven't you ever had a test or an interview before, Rhodo? Even when you're confident in your abilities and you know you have nothing to hide, you still tend to feel nervous beforehand." Sleipmon paused. "Don't overcompensate because you, Duftmon, and Magnamon missed something with Anubismon during your inspection of Lupolford," he decided to add.

RhodoKnightmon suddenly stopped and turned to Sleipmon. "I do _not_ overcompensate. I do my jobs thoroughly and professionally," he told him. He turned and continued walking after Moosemon.

Sleipmon eyed him for a few moments. "_When you feel like it…_" he replied in his mind, soon following after him.

* * *

><p>Sleipmon and RhodoKnightmon stood in the mayor's office. They had been standing there for about half an hour as Moosemon went over much of what had happened in Mossridge since the last inspection. He spoke candidly, although with a nervous laugh that cropped up whenever he got into something that he wasn't comfortable with admitting, such as the less-than-amazing crop yields for example.<p>

"I see…" RhodoKnightmon replied. He eyed him suspiciously. "And on the subject of corruption?"

"Corruption?" Moosemon asked, frowning. "Why, no." He walked over to his desk and pushed a few scrolls forward. "You can check our bookkeeping documents here. You'll find that all of the taxes are going where they should be going."

Sleipmon took one of the scrolls and opened it, reading the Digi-letters and numbers scrawled on the paper. For a moment, he glanced towards the wide door of the office before turning back to the scroll.

"Only…" Moosemon muttered.

"Only?" RhodoKnightmon asked, folding his arms.

"I don't know if you would call this corruption, but one of my advisors had to be dismissed for drunken and disorderly behaviour while on the job," Moosemon explained, punctuating it with another chuckle. "He enjoyed Koenigs Bier a little too much. He trashed my office here. We couldn't have that."

"Something like that isn't our concern," RhodoKnightmon assured him.

Moosemon smiled a bit wider and nodded. He turned to Sleipmon. "Is everything in order?" he asked.

"It seems like it," Sleipmon replied, rolling up the scroll and handing it back. "Do we have your permission to look at the crime logs at the local police office?"

"Why, it's your right to," Moosemon told them.

"I will see to that," RhodoKnightmon explained. He looked his equine partner. "Why don't you talk to some of the townspeople while I do that?"

Sleipmon nodded. "We'll meet up outside here, how about?" he asked, already walking towards the door. "Thank you for your cooperation, Mayor."

"Anytime," Moosemon replied with a look of relief on his face.

RhodoKnightmon eyed him for a few moments before walking over to Sleipmon.

"We have an eavesdropper outside," Sleipmon whispered to him.

RhodoKnightmon nodded and stepped out with Sleipmon, who closed the door behind them. They saw the big, blue body of a dragon - a Veedramon – who was casually walking away in an attempt to look innocent. The pink-armoured knight looked at Sleipmon for confirmation, who nodded.

One of RhodoKnightmon's sashes suddenly whipped through the air and wrapped around the Veedramon's arm, stopping him from walking any further. The Veedramon tensed up and tried to wrench his arm away on reflex, but the RhodoKnightmon's sashes were surprisingly durable.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, spinning around to see what grabbed him. "What is this?!"

Sleipmon and RhodoKnightmon approached him, the latter keeping a hold on the sash. "Eavesdropping, were you?" the horse knight asked, stopping in front of the smaller dragon.

"No…" Veedramon grunted, trying not to seem defiant, although still resisting against the ribbon. "I was only walking to my office."

"I could hear you brushing up against the door while we were talking with the mayor," Sleipmon remarked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Veedramon looked away, sneering in defeat. "Yeah… Okay. I admit it. I was eavesdropping, but I was only protecting my interests," he explained, turning back to look at them. "Can you let go of my arm now?"

RhodoKnightmon unwound the sash from around Veedramon's arm. "I'm rather confused," he stated. "Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm one of the members of the town council," Veedramon explained. "We're sort of like advisors to the mayor."

"And what do you mean by 'protecting your interests'?" the Royal Knight asked, placing his hands on his hips.

Veedramon huffed and folded his arms. "I was making sure that Moosemon wasn't throwing me under the Trailmon, so to speak. He's already told enough lies about my family; I didn't need him lying to the Royal Knights too."

"Oh?" RhodoKnightmon asked.

"What lies?" Sleipmon inquired.

"Like that garbage about my brother. Yeah, maybe he smashed up Moosemon's office, but that guy provoked him!" Veedramon growled.

"Slow down," the red knight implored. "Your brother was the one he mentioned? He was a member of the council too?"

"Yeah. AeroVeedramon was never drunk. Moosemon was just looking for a reason to dismiss him, and when he couldn't find one, he created one," Veedramon said.

"Why would he do that, exactly?" Sleipmon asked.

"Because Moosemon has it in for our family!" the blue dragon explained angrily.

"That's more than enough, Veedramon," a voice bellowed out from down the hall.

The Royal Knights looked behind them to see Moosemon walking over, having heard Veedramon's raised voice. Veedramon glowered at him.

"The Royal Knights don't want to hear about your family's dirty laundry," Moosemon said with a stern stare, marching over. "I know you think your brother didn't do anything, but you have a persecution complex the size of a MetalSeadramon. I'm not out to get you. Now, please stop causing problems for our esteemed guests." Moosemon turned to Sleipmon and RhodoKnightmon. "This is very embarrassing. I'm sorry about him."

Veedramon turned to Moosemon and glared, but didn't open his mouth.

Sleipmon and RhodoKnightmon looked at each other, their exasperation beginning to show.

"We need to be getting on with our inspection now. Thank you for talking with us, both of you. It has been enlightening," Sleipmon replied. With that, Sleipmon and RhodoKnightmon turned and started making their way out of the town hall.

"So, it seems there is more to this than meets the eye," RhodoKnightmon said to him.

"I guess so…" Sleipmon murmured. "I wonder who's telling the truth."

"I'm not sure. You go and talk to the townspeople. Specifically ask about rivalries and corruption. I'll get the records from the police office and then I'll come back here to talk to some of the other advisors about this," RhodoKnightmon explained. "Don't be afraid to ask tough questions, Sleipmon. Don't let your friendly ways get in the way of doing your job."

Sleipmon nodded, although frowning a bit. "I won't…"

* * *

><p>After about an hour, RhodoKnightmon emerged from the police office. Everything seemed to be in order there, and he had a lengthy chat with the chief constable. It was mid-afternoon by the time that he left the building.<p>

He made his way back to the town hall, where he saw that the Gigasmon guard was gone and the Stegomon guard was sitting down on the steps, munching on some cabbage.

"_Cabbage by itself_?" RhodoKnightmon mused to himself. "_That's not a proper meal…_"

The Stegomon looked up, some bits of cabbage still dotting his mouth. "Oh, hello again. I'm just on my lunch break," he greeted the Royal Knight.

"I see…" RhodoKnightmon said. He eyed the head of cabbage in front of the Stegomon. "Wouldn't that taste so much better with, perhaps, some cranberry vinaigrette?"

The Stegomon slowly frowned and tilted his head sideways. "What's a… vin-eh-gret?" he questioned.

RhodoKnightmon stared at him, sighed and shook his head. "There is simply no hope for some Digimon…"

"Huh?"

"Never you mind," the Royal Knight replied. "Can you tell me if there are any members of the mayor's council in the town hall at this moment? Aside from Veedramon, I mean."

"Uh, yeah," the Stegomon answered. "Parrotmon is inside."

"Good. Thank you," RhodoKnightmon answered, walking up the stairs and letting himself into the lobby.

To his luck, as soon as he entered, he saw the tall, broad form of a green and yellow parrot Digimon. The Parrotmon shifted around his blue talons to turn around and see who had just walked in. "Oh, hello, Sir RhodoKnightmon," she greeted. "I heard that the inspection was today."

"Why, indeed it is," RhodoKnightmon replied, looking up at the exotically coloured avian Digimon. "That is exactly why I would like to speak with you. Could you please spare a few minutes?"

"Of course I can," she said with a smile.

"And you will answer honestly, won't you?" Rhodo implored.

Parrotmon nodded. "Sure. I'd be too nervous to lie to a Royal Knight anyways," she replied sheepishly.

"Thank you. Now… You're one of Moosemon's advisors, correct?" he asked.

Parrotmon nodded again. "That's right."

"So, I assume you're aware of the situation between Veedramon and himself?"

Her face began to grimace. "Well… yes… We weren't supposed to bring that up today, but since you already know…" She looked at him uncomfortably.

"It's fairly obvious that there's tension between them, but I'm afraid I don't know as much as I feel I should," RhodoKnightmon said, hoping that she would be able to fill him in.

"Well…" Parrotmon paused. "To put it simply, it's a family rivalry. No… 'rivalry' seems to trivialize it too much. They… can't forgive each other," she explained, a touch of sadness in her voice.

RhodoKnightmon folded his arms. "Can't forgive each other? What exactly happened?" he asked, more out of curiosity for necessary information than out of emotional investment.

"It happened over a decade ago," Parrotmon told him, gazing down at the knight, although her eyes were deep in thought. "Moosemon's father, and Veedramon's and AeroVeedramon's father were the best of friends… They had been for awhile, before they started having families. I remember that us four used to play together while our fathers would talk nearby."

"Yes, go on," RhodoKnightmon spoke, inwardly wishing that she got to the point without the added emotional surplus.

"Well… Moosemon's father was a Pegasusmon, and Veedramon's and AeroVeedramon's father was a Paildramon," she explained.

RhodoKnightmon nodded, although he wondered why she felt it was necessary to tell him that.

"Like I said, they were best friends…" Parrotmon said. "But one day… Paildramon changed."

"Changed…? His personality, you mean?"

She shook her head. "He digivolved…" she told him ominously. "But… it went badly."

RhodoKnightmon thought about it for a moment. "Ah…" he said in revelation. "Imperialdramon Dragon Mode."

Parrotmon nodded sadly. "I guess I don't have to tell you how unstable Imperialdramons are when they first achieve that mode. He couldn't handle its power. He went wild," she explained with a sigh.

The Royal Knight frowned. "A rampant evolution. So, what happened next?"

"Like I said, he lost control. He destroyed nearly a quarter of Mossridge. He didn't know what he was doing. He was just attacking every building in sight. Nobody was seriously hurt except…" Parrotmon paused. "Pegasusmon tried to stop him. He tried to talk sense into him at first, but he wasn't getting through. When he realized that wasn't working, he tried to incapacitate him himself, but… Imperialdramon killed him."

RhodoKnightmon listened quietly, arms folded.

"After that, Imperialdramon finally settled down and was able to get a hold of himself, I guess. I was young at the time. He hadn't realized what he had done at first. I guess it was all a blur to him."

"Yes, when Digimon go rampant like that, they can't think clearly. They don't act rationally and they act purely on instinct and emotion," RhodoKnightmon explained. "Sometimes they don't settle down, but sometimes they can either calm down naturally or through a physical, mental, or emotional shock."

Parrotmon nodded. "Maybe it was that, then… I remember my dad mentioning that when Imperialdramon settled down, he was crying but he wasn't sure why…" she said, almost in a mumble. "Anyways… Moosemon's family didn't forgive him. They said he was a monster. I think he began to think the same thing; when he found out what he had done, he was devastated. Heartbroken. One day, I guess he couldn't take the guilt and sadness anymore. He deleted himself."

"I see…" RhodoKnightmon said. "So… That's how it started? Moosemon's family blamed them for Pegasusmon's death, and Veedramon's family blamed Moosemon's family for Imperialdramon's death?"

"More or less…" Parrotmon answered grimly.

"And yet Veedramon and AeroVeedramon are Moosemon's advisors?" RhodoKnightmon asked curiously.

"It's complicated… Each of them were striving to become the mayor of Mossridge. Competing, almost. Once the Royal Knights appointed Moosemon as mayor, they had to take what they could get, and there was an uneasy truce between them, for the sake of the town. That said, the Veedramon brothers still want to become mayor themselves someday."

"Ah, I see. So… back to the present. AeroVeedramon's dismissal. Who was in the right?" the pink-armoured knight asked. "It sounds like either story is possible now."

"I'm afraid I don't know," she admitted. "Both sides are sticking to their stories."

RhodoKnightmon sighed. "Great… Faction struggles," he muttered. "As troublesome as this is, it will have to be sorted. If this in-fighting ends up escalating, it could end up going in an unfortunate direction. Factional in-fighting can sometimes lead to corruption, assassinations, coup d'états, and even civil wars. Nothing even close to that will be tolerated under our watch."

"I completely agree," Parrotmon agreed. "I'd like nothing more than for them to make up."

RhodoKnightmon nodded. "Well, thank you for your help. I need to go inform my comrade."

"Alright… Please, sort something out between them," she pleaded to him.

"I'll see what I can do," he answered, turning and heading out to look for Sleipmon.

* * *

><p>"So everything has been going well? That's good to hear. Thank you for your time."<p>

Sleipmon turned away from the small, purple Penguinmon he had been talking to and started trotting past him. He made his way down a stone street that ran parallel to the river. On the left hand side was the flowing water of the river and on the right hand side were a row of shops that were beginning to close for the day.

He had thoroughly talked with the residents of Mossridge and there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Sleipmon wondered if the rivalry between Moosemon and Veedramon was even worth following up on. From what he gathered from the townspeople, neither of them were bad Digimon, they just didn't like each other. It did pique his interest that they used to be friends, though.

The cavalier continued walking as stone road turned into a dirt path as he began to reach the edge of the town. Sleipmon was about to turn to go back, but something ahead of him caught his eye. He saw the Paildramon who he had met earlier.

Paildramon was outside a large house, presumably his. He had one arm stretched out in front of him, and he lifted one leg slowly up before moving it behind him, as if taking a battle stance. He then extended the long spikes in his gauntlets and began stabbing the air.

Sleipmon raised an eyebrow and began to make his way over. Paildramon was facing to the side and had a look of serious concentration on his face, so he didn't notice Sleipmon approach.

"That's not bad, but you should pivot your feet more," Sleipmon remarked with a light smile.

The teenage dragon jumped up and swerved towards the voice, completely startled. His red eyes widened like moons when he saw who the voice belonged to. "Guh! S-Sleipmon!" he sputtered, his face turning the same red colour as his helmet when he realized he must have been making a fool of himself. He started rubbing the back of his head, looking away since he couldn't bring himself to look him in the eyes. "I… didn't see you there."

"It's not bad, Paildramon," he assured him, sensing the dragon's embarrassment. "Where did you pick up stances like that?"

Paildramon finally allowed himself to look at the Royal Knight. "Uh… W-Well… My uncle's been teaching me, actually," he explained sheepishly. "He has a lot of time on his claws, since he got dismissed from his job recently."

Sleipmon looked at him curiously. "He was dismissed? Is your uncle AeroVeedramon, by any chance?" he asked. Upon seeing Paildramon nod, he continued. "So, that makes you Veedramon's son?"

"Yeah," Paildramon replied, a little surprised. "You met them?"

"I met your father," Sleipmon explained.

The dragon Digimon smiled and nodded. "Uh, do you mind if I keep training?" he asked. "We can still talk; I just don't want to break my rhythm."

"Of course."

Paildramon smiled more broadly. "And if you have any more tips, I'd love to have them," he mentioned, going back to the attack stance that he was in before, although feeling a bit self-conscious with Sleipmon watching.

Sleipmon grinned. "Sure," he answered. "So, do you know why your uncle was fired?"

Paildramon shrugged and started stabbing the air. He then recoiled a step and crossed his arm blades in front of him in a defensive stance before going back to various stabs and thrusts. "Uh… Apparently he was… drinking on the job, but… him and Dad say that… Mayor Moosemon did it out of spite," he replied between grunts of effort.

Sleipmon nodded, watching as Paildramon performed a roundhouse kick in the air before following up with a whip from his tail. It was obvious that Paildramon was showing off his best moves for Sleipmon. "I see…"

"It's too bad… Apparently they used to be friends," Paildramon replied, thrusting his arm forwards before ejecting his wire-guided claws twenty meters down the yard.

"They did?" Sleipmon asked, although already knowing that fact. "What happened?"

Paildramon's speed started to increase noticeably with every new punch and movement. "I think… it had to do… with Granddad…" he answered. As he trained, he started panting and sweating. His scales began paling behind his helmet.

"Your grandfather?" Sleipmon asked.

Paildramon nodded and, after a moment, suddenly stopped his actions. He brought his hand to his head, closing his eyes tightly. "Guh…" he groaned.

The Royal Knight frowned. "Paildramon? What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-Nothing…" he tried to reassure Sleipmon. "I just feel kinda weird for some reason."

"Weird? How so?" Sleipmon asked, walking towards him with some concern.

"I… I dunno…" Paildramon grunted, stepping backwards. "I feel tingly all over… and kinda light-headed…"

"What…?" Sleipmon asked, suddenly frowning. He could hear the dragon's heavy breathing from there.

Paildramon gripped his forehead, grimacing tightly, almost as if in pain. "I… AH!" he suddenly cried out.

Sleipmon rushed forwards, but stopped when Paildramon's body became encased in a grey aura. Suddenly his whole body shone brightly and data exploded outwards as his body began to change shape.

The Royal Knight took several steps backwards in the grass, watching as Paildramon's form began to grow and grow and grow… Sleipmon had to shield his eyes from the light with the red Niflheimr shield he wore on his right arm. A terrible roar accompanied the sudden digivolution.

Sleipmon moved his shield to look as the light began to die down. He had to crane his neck to look up at the huge Digimon. In Paildramon's place was a giant blue dragon standing all fours. He now wore black armour over his back and his four legs. Instead of his hands, he had formidable, golden claws and a long, sharp sickle on each foreleg. A warm wind blew through his white hair, which stuck out from beneath his red and black helmet. The helmet was reminiscent of the one he had as a Paildramon, except this one had a white crown over it, and it rested on top of a fearsome, snarling face.

Sleipmon suddenly felt uneasy. He watched as the dragon's new, red wings suddenly spread out from beside the huge positron cannon that was built into the armour on his back.

"Paildramon… You evolved…" he said cautiously. He offered a small smile. "Congratulations."

The Imperialdramon Dragon Mode let out an earth-shaking roar and staggered towards Sleipmon on shaky limbs, his tail swishing wildly behind him. Sleipmon backed up a bit more. "Take it easy, Paildramon," he told him. "You're not used to the form yet."

Imperialdramon merely roared again and stopped. He stood up straight and energy began to accumulate within his Positron Cannon. Not even calling his attack, Imperialdramon simply snarled loudly and fired a blue blast of energy circled by purple helices from his cannon aimlessly into the air.

Sleipmon's eyes widened. "Paildramon! Be careful!" he told him harshly. "You could hurt…" Sleipmon watched as Imperialdramon turned his attention towards him, welcoming him with another savage roar. "somebody…" he finished in a distraught mumble.

Imperialdramon leaned the front of his body close to the ground, angling his body so that the Positron Cannon aimed down at Sleipmon.

Sleipmon grimaced, gazing up at Imperialdramon and his cannon. Power began to be drawn into the cannon from the nearby air; the positrons were growing inside the mouth of the cannon. "Paildramon… Imperialdramon… What are you doing? It's Sleipmon. I'm a Royal Knight. What's wrong?" he asked, backing up a couple more steps.

A soft growl rumbled within Imperialdramon's throat before it turned into a full on throat-tearing roar. The cannon brimmed with power. Imperialdramon looked at Sleipmon with wild red eyes, and, suddenly, the cannon erupted. A massive laser ripped from the cannon and surged towards Sleipmon, tearing up the ground as it closed in on him…


	16. Chapter 11 Part 2: Protocol

(Author's Notes: Here's the second part of Chapter 11. Hopefully I can get a start on Chapter 12, but I probably won't have it done as fast as I had this one here done, since I'm still plotting it out. Chapter 12 will fill out the rest of the Royal Knight-centric self-contained stories, and focus on Dynasmon and Duftmon. Enjoy, read, and review.)

**Chapter 11: Protocol (Part II)**

The white and blue form of a winged dragon Digimon dashed out of the house at the sudden sound of roaring. The AeroVeedramon darted around the corner of his brother's house and into the yard, where the noises were coming from. He skidded to a stop and his toe claws dug into the grass as soon as he took notice of the scene before him.

Imperialdramon's tall, massive draconic body lurched forwards unevenly, still shaky on his own feet. He bent his bulky body down and zeroed his giant, dorsal cannon in on the Royal Knight standing in front of him. Sleipmon took a few steps back cautiously.

"Paildramon… Imperialdramon… What are you doing? It's Sleipmon. I'm a Royal Knight. What's wrong?" the horseman asked, although he had a sinking feeling that he already knew the answer.

Imperialdramon didn't reply. He merely roared hot breath at him and launched a torrent of positrons from his cannon. A beam of swirling, purple and blue power burst from the muzzle and descended on Sleipmon. The recoil of the blast was enough even to push the colossal body of Imperialdramon back a several feet.

Sleipmon's eyes widened as the beam closed in. He grunted and raised his long, red shield, the Niflheimr, in front of him. He dug his six hooves into the ground and braced himself for the immanent impact.

A strained growl escaped his mouth as the attack slammed into his shield. Sleipmon winced in pain and effort at the enormous amount of pressure hitting the Niflheimr. The strength of the blast as well as the continuous nature of it forced Sleipmon to have to press his left hand against the inside of the shield as a buffer.

The Positron Laser fought against the great shield and the attack branched off in strands of power around Sleipmon. Several miniature threads of positrons splaying off the shield hit the ground and ripped up the grass and earth in large clumps. Sleipmon's features were lit up with a bright blue and purple gleam as he continued holding against the beam, which was slowly driving him back in the grass. He let out a soft sigh of relief when the attack finally began to die down.

The beam dissipated inside Imperialdramon's cannon and the smoke and dust began to clear. There was a long, shallow trench running down the yard from Imperialdramon to Sleipmon where the blast burned into the ground, as well as a mess of dirt and grass surrounding Sleipmon.

Sleipmon glanced down at the outer edge of the Niflheimr. Smoke rose up from the red metal, but otherwise it didn't have a single dent or blemish. "_Thank Yggdrasil for red digizoid_," he thought to himself. To his surprise he heard a voice shout out behind him.

"No… No!" AeroVeedramon shouted, looking up at Imperialdramon with a mortified expression.

Sleipmon turned his head, but made sure not to let the wild dragon out of his peripheral vision. "AeroVeedramon?" he asked in slight surprise, realizing who he must be.

"You said Paildramon…" he said with a shaky voice. "That's… That's my nephew! This… can't be! Not again!"

"Again?" Sleipmon asked. Before he could get an answer, he could see Imperialdramon begin to move, prompting him to swing around.

Imperialdramon roared and started flapping his wings violently, pulling himself into the air. Sleipmon sneered. "I can't let him into the city…" he muttered. He quickly looked at AeroVeedramon. "Find RhodoKnightmon! He should be around the town hall! Hurry!"

AeroVeedramon looked on helplessly at his nephew. "But…"

"Go!" Sleipmon commanded. "It's not safe here! I need RhodoKnightmon's help to contain him."

AeroVeedramon took on a torn expression, wondering whether he should or not. "Don't… Don't delete him! You won't, right?!"

"I won't delete him! I promise," Sleipmon reassured him. The horse knight frowned and stared at Imperialdramon. "_I won't delete him no matter what_.

AeroVeedramon nodded, finding assurance into Sleipmon's word. He flapped his wings and raced into Mossridge as fast as he could.

With him gone, Sleipmon cautiously approached Imperialdramon. "Imperialdramon…" he said in a calm, soothing tone. "You remember me, don't you? I'm Sleipmon… I'm one of the Royal Knights… You said you really admired me, remember?"

Imperialdramon roared and took a mindless swipe at him with his sharp, gold claws.

Sleipmon leapt away and circled back around to try again. "Imperialdramon! Stop this! You know me!" he shouted in distraught frustration. "You wanted to join our Order, remember?!"

Another savage growl ripped from Imperialdramon's throat. He tilted his head back and began gathering dark matter inside his mouth.

Sleipmon sneered and decided to keep on the move, galloping around Imperialdramon, but not letting him get too far from him. "I know this new evolution is hard to handle! You have to focus! You're letting its power take control of you!" he told him. "Just listen to my voice and try to relax! I know you're in there!"

Imperialdramon roared and fired his Mega Death attack. The ball of dark matter sailed over Sleipmon's head and burst through the wall of his house. A black and white blast blossomed from inside the house, completely annihilating all of the walls and furniture. The house detonated in a massive explosion that forced Sleipmon to stop and brace himself from the blast. The blast ripped through the ground and air, sending debris and fractured data particles flying everywhere. Sleipmon let out a breathy grunt; he struggled to remain on his hooves as the detonation rocked his form.

When the explosion died down, the Royal Knight lowered his shield and observed the damage with a look of shock. Where Imperialdramon's house once stood, there was a massive, smoking crater, and all the grass surrounding the impact point was completely gone. Sleipmon could hear shouts of fear and confusion from inside Mossridge.

He turned back to Imperialdramon with a look of anxiety. The dragon flailed his tail wildly and he wrenched his head around, growling and flapping his wings, although luckily staying in place.

Sleipmon grimaced. "_What do I do…? He can destroy Mossridge in a matter of ten minutes…_" he thought to himself with worry. "_Hurry up, Rhodo. I'll need your help_…"

* * *

><p>RhodoKnightmon walked out of the town hall, looking around curiously. "What in Yggdrasil's name was that noise?" he wondered aloud as he made his way down the steps.<p>

"RhodoKnightmon!" a voice called out to him from behind.

"Hm?" RhodoKnightmon hummed, turning around at the base of the steps.

Mayor Moosemon came out of the town hall and walked down the steps. He stepped up beside Rhodo and looked at him with a big smile. "Hello! How's the inspection going?" he asked. "Are you just about done?"

"Oh, nearly, yes," RhodoKnightmon replied. Sleipmon and I were just following up on something that we heard happened over a decade ago.

Moosemon's smile faltered. "Oh…" he said with a suddenly heavy voice. "Why look into something that happened over a decade ago? The Free Area didn't even exist when that happened."

"So, you know what I'm talking about, then?" the Royal Knight asked him.

Moosemon grimaced and finally nodded after a few moments. "It's… not exactly something I can forget," he spoke, without his usual laugh.

RhodoKnightmon nodded. "I wanted to know why your family and Veedramon's family were at odds. And it _is_ our business because you're both part of the municipal government, and we have to ensure that there's no foul play going on, you see."

"I know," he replied with a sigh. "But I ensure you that I didn't dismiss AeroVeedramon for personal reasons. He was undermining me at every step just for the sake of it! It was getting impossible to get any work done! And I didn't invent what he did to my offi-"

"RhodoKnightmon!" another voice rang out, this one more desperate and frantic.

RhodoKnightmon turned and saw AeroVeedramon descending through the air towards them. "Hmm, perhaps we can have both sides of the story," he mused. Moosemon had an annoyed expression on his face at the dragon's appearance.

AeroVeedramon landed and looked at the Royal Knight with a look of terror in his eyes. "RhodoKni-"

His voice was interrupted by a massive booming coming from the direction that AeroVeedramon flew from. The ground beneath them shook, and a bright blast erupted into the sky from the northern outskirts of town.

AeroVeedramon flinched. Moosemon staggered on his legs slightly and looked over in panic and surprise.

"What was that?!" RhodoKnightmon demanded, looking at the huge blast in the distance.

Grimacing, AeroVeedramon looked up. "It was Paildramon. My nephew…" he replied with guilt in his voice. "He… He evolved."

Again, they were interrupted when a screech rang through the air and a beam of positrons streaked through the sky.

Moosemon tensed up, his eyes widening. "No…"

RhodoKnightmon sneered behind his helmet. "You're joking…" he spoke, noting the coincidental irony of the situation. "You mean he's gone rampant…?"

AeroVeedramon nodded with a pained grimace.

"You fool!" Moosemon shouted, glaring at AeroVeedramon. "I knew you were a family of monsters! Who else needs to die before you realize that?!"

AeroVeedramon scowled and turned to him. "Shut your mouth, Moosemon! It's not his fault! H-He's young! He doesn't know what he's doing!"

"Just like your father didn't when he killed my dad?!" Moosemon shot back.

AeroVeedramon snarled and grabbed him by the neck. "Don't you dare bring my father into this!" he warned him.

"Or what?! You'll kill me?" Moosemon countered, narrowing his gaze. "I don't care. It's better than being toasted by your psychotic nephew! The whole town is doomed now! Everything that we've worked for!"

RhodoKnightmon got between the two Digimon and pushed them apart. "Enough!" he ordered. "Do you really think that fighting amongst yourselves is going to solve anything? If this is the way you two always act, it's no wonder that things have been going badly."

AeroVeedramon let go of Moosemon and folded his arms, frowning deeply. Moosemon grimaced and looked away.

"That's better," RhodoKnightmon said. "Now, I'm not going to let anything happen to this town. I'm going to take care of this situation."

"Th-Thank you," Moosemon murmured, tensing up as another explosion shook the ground.

RhodoKnightmon looked at both of them. "Where is Sleipmon?" he asked them.

"He's with Paildramon!" AeroVeedramon told him hurriedly, remembering why he was there. "He sent me to come get you!"

The Royal Knight nodded. "I understand. Now, don't you two have jobs to do?" he asked.

AeroVeedramon nodded, looking at Moosemon. "We have to start an evacuation."

"…Yeah, we do," he agreed.

"I hope you two can manage that without any problems," RhodoKnightmon said to them, giving them a lingering look.

They nodded.

"I need to tell my brother!" AeroVeedramon remembered. "That's his son."

"No, don't tell him," the pink Royal Knight said to him. "He'll get in our way and end up putting himself in danger. Just get him to evacuate with the rest of you."

AeroVeedramon grimaced. "Rgh… I'll try."

"I must assist Sleipmon now. I'm leaving everything to you two," RhodoKnightmon told them. With that, he started dashing north, up one of the streets, against the crowd of fleeing Digimon.

"Hang in there, Sleipmon," he thought, frowning. "Do not let your heart get in the way of what you need to do."

* * *

><p>Sleipmon backed towards the crater as he pushed his hands against the top and bottom jaws of Imperialdramon's snout, trying to keep the massive dragon from biting him.<p>

"Imperial… dramon…" he grunted, struggling to keep the wild beast at bay. "I know… that you don't want to hurt anybody… You said that you… wanted to protect people… like the Royal Knights do…"

Imperialdramon dug his claws deeper into the earth, pushing forwards and roaring, some of his saliva splattering onto Sleipmon's armour.

Sleipmon sneered and dug deep. He knew the crater was right behind him; he was at risk of losing his foothold, and that would leave him vulnerable to attack. "Listen to me, Imperialdramon! You need to focus! Your mind's unstable!" He saw that he wasn't getting through to him, and he began to glower when he saw more dark matter building up in Imperialdramon's mouth for his Mega Death attack. "Imperialdramon! I don't want to hurt you, but I'm going to need to incapacitate you if you don't calm down! You'll hurt people! I know you don't want that!"

He saw the dark matter rising in Imperialdramon's mouth and it began to brim. "Tch," Sleipmon grunted. He was forced to let go and dash to the side, sending Imperialdramon staggering at the sudden release. As Imperialdramon tripped into the crater, he managed to jerk his body to the side in a desperate attempt to fire the Mega Death attack at Sleipmon. He spat the sphere of dark matter but it missed him by a couple of feet and soared into the air. It travelled on, eventually exploded in a terrifying blast of black energy and lightning.

Sleipmon turned back towards the crater as the attack exploded harmlessly, sending a blast of wind through his hair. He heard the sound of Imperialdramon crashing at the bottom of the crater.

"Now's my chance," he murmured to himself. He dashed towards the edge of the crater and raised the Niflheimr in front of him. "Odin's Breath!"

Sleipmon's shield began to glow blue as it started to radiate freezing temperatures. He wanted to use the Niflheimr to lower the temperature inside the crater to make Imperialdramon sluggish, and perhaps freeze his limbs to the ground if necessary.

The blast of cold swept into the crater, but, to Sleipmon's surprise, Imperialdramon had already recovered from falling. Imperialdramon shot up into the air, flying out of the crater and roaring at the cold against his lower body.

Sleipmon grunted in annoyance and tried to raise his blizzard-producing shield up to follow Imperialdramon and at least stop him from getting airborne. To his dismay, he couldn't angle himself properly because the dragon was already flying over his head.

The cavalier started galloping to try to turn and face Imperialdramon, but he already heard the rampant Mega level land behind him with a crash. The first thing he saw of Imperialdramon was his large foreclaw as it slammed into him and sent him crashing on his side.

His groan of pain was drowned out by another of Imperialdramon's roars. He tried to position his six legs to try to stand himself up again, but he could see the giant dragon already looming over him. Sleipmon grimaced as Imperialdramon raised his claws, either attempting to stomp on him or stab him. For a moment, the Royal Knight contemplated the Muspellsheimr crossbow on his left arm.

Imperialdramon thrust his foreleg forwards, the gold claws glinting in the late afternoon sun as they drove towards Sleipmon. Sleipmon was about to react, but stopped himself when he noticed something come into his field of view.

"Spiral Masquerade!" a familiar voice shouted. Two long, yellow sashes whipped through the air and wrapped around Imperialdramon's leg and claws, stopping it from getting any closer to Sleipmon.

Sleipmon turned and saw his pink companion standing to the side. "RhodoKnightmon!" he said with a bit of relief.

Still keeping the metal sashes taut, RhodoKnightmon dashed forwards and jumped into the air, raising the gold Pile Bunker in his right hand. "Urgent Fear!" he called out, slamming his Pile Bunker into Imperialdramon's side. The tip of the Pile Bunker erupted with light, and the pressure from the blow sent Imperialdramon careening across the grassy field.

Sleipmon took the opportunity to get himself back to his feet. When RhodoKnightmon landed, Sleipmon looked at him. "Thank you. Came right in the nick of time."

"Don't mention it," RhodoKnightmon replied, turning to him, but still keeping an eye on Imperialdramon, who was reeling from the blast. "What are you doing, Sleipmon? You're not having trouble with a young, freshly Digivolved Mega level, surely."

"It's not that simple. I'm trying to talk to him to bring him to his senses," Sleipmon answered, dusting dirt off of his still-cold Niflheimr.

"Sleipmon, dear, I believe that you've taken a leave of _your_ senses if you think that that's going to work," RhodoKnightmon told him.

"I can do it, Rhodo," Sleipmon said with determination.

"No, you can't," RhodoKnightmon replied, looking over at Imperialdramon.

Sleipmon sneered with annoyance. "And what makes you so sure?"

"Because it didn't help with his grandfather," RhodoKnightmon said pointedly.

"What? His grandfather?" he asked, remembering Paildramon mentioning something about him before he evolved.

"Yes. This very exact same situation happened to his grandfather over a decade ago. He evolved from Paildramon to that…" RhodoKnightmon beckoned at the frenzied dragon, who was scrambling to get up. He fired another aimless Positron Laser from his back as he did so. "And went rampant. His best friend, Moosemon's father, tried to do what you're doing, and he ended up dead. In fact, that's why the two families dislike each other so much."

"What…?" Sleipmon asked in surprise. He turned to look at Imperialdramon.

"Paildramons very often go rampant when they first evolve into Imperialdramon Dragon Mode. They can't handle all that power," RhodoKnightmon explained.

"I know that," Sleipmon retorted as he watched Imperialdramon stand to his feet and turn to them. "I think we should try to incapacitate him."

RhodoKnightmon frowned. "I-"

"He's coming," Sleipmon interrupted. He nodded towards Imperialdramon as the dragon flapped his wings and charged at them.

RhodoKnightmon looked and saw the unruly dragon charging towards them, with an ear-piercing screech. Imperialdramon hurled himself at them.

Sleipmon quickly dashed to the side and RhodoKnightmon nimbly jumped away to avoid being rammed by the beast. Imperialdramon swung around, whipping his tail at Sleipmon and firing a Mega Death blast at RhodoKnightmon. The horse knight skidded to a stop and turned so that he could block the tail lash with his shield. RhodoKnightmon did a backwards somersault in the air to avoid being struck by the attack, instead, only being grazed by a bit of dark matter.

"He's getting more used to his new body. He still can't control himself though," Sleipmon said, sneering as he started circling clockwise around Imperialdramon.

RhodoKnightmon glowered as he landed. "That's exactly why—Look out!" he suddenly said, watching as Imperialdramon turned towards Sleipmon.

Sleipmon looked up and saw Imperialdramon turn to him, taking aim with an already prepared Positron Laser blast. He narrowed his eyes and bolted into a full gallop, just as Imperialdramon fired.

He heard the beam screech as it passed behind him, and he felt the end of his white tail get singed by the hot blast. Sleipmon slowed down before reaching the bank of the river and he looked over his shoulder to see the beam plow through the row of closed shops that he passed earlier, decimating them in a horrible explosion. Sleipmon grimaced and hurried over to RhodoKnightmon. He hoped that the shops had been unoccupied.

"Can you get him with your sashes?" Sleipmon asked RhodoKnightmon. "If you can hold him in place, I can neutralize him with Odin's Breath."

"Can you, though?" RhodoKnightmon responded, glancing over at Sleipmon.

Sleipmon eyed him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I think that we need to delete him," RhodoKnightmon replied coolly.

As his eyes widened in shock, Sleipmon jerked his head to look at his fellow Royal Knight. "What?!" he demanded. "Delete him?!"

"He's out of control, Sleipmon! Can't you see that?!" RhodoKnightmon protested. "He's _rampant_. He's not going to stop no matter how much we restrain him!"

"So you want us to _kill_ him?!" Sleipmon retorted with a look of repulsion and dismay on his face. "He's only a kid! I knew you could be ruthless on missions, RhodoKnightmon, but I never thought you'd suggest something like that."

"Get off your moral high horse, Sleipmon," RhodoKnightmon shot back icily. "You're truly naïve if you think that we have any viable alternatives."

Sleipmon was about to reply, but Imperialdramon was on the move again. The frenzied Digimon launched another Mega Death attack from his mouth at them. The two Royal Knights were fortunately fast enough to dodge it, both breaking off in opposite directions.

The swirling orb of compressed dark matter ripped by them and slammed into the river. When it exploded, there was a gigantic eruption of water that went as high as fifty meters into the air. The flow of the river stalled as water started pooling in the large impact crater in the middle of the river, and cascades of water fell over the field and the three Digimon.

Imperialdramon then turned away from the two Royal Knights. He flapped his wings strongly and took flight, rising into the air and heading towards the town of Mossridge.

"Sleipmon!" RhodoKnightmon called out, ignoring the water droplets pelting his armour. "He's heading for the town! Stop him!"

Sleipmon grimaced. "Damn it… Damn it!" He reluctantly raised his Muspellsheimr crossbow, drew an arrow from inside the Niflheimr and aimed it precisely at Imperialdramon. "Bifröst!"

An incandescent bolt fired from the Muspellsheimr. The arrow tore through the air and pierced one of Imperialdramon's wings. The dragon let out a roar of pain and fell to the grass with a crash before he could get too high.

Sleipmon grunted and loaded another bolt into his crossbow. "See? We _can_ incapacitate him!" he insisted. "He can't fly now!"

"The rest of his body still works," RhodoKnightmon countered. "How do you plan on disabling his cannon? And did you happen to bring a muzzle big enough to keep him from blasting away with his mouth?"

The cavalier hissed with annoyance. "I'm telling you, I just need to freeze him to incapacitate him!" he shot back in frustration.

"A giant Digimon like him, Sleipmon?" RhodoKnightmon said, glaring. "You know far better than I do that your Odin's Breath attack isn't instantaneous. With smaller Digimon it's a different story, but I would guess it would take at least two minutes for it to work on him. And do you think he would just patiently sit by and let you?"

"That's why I want you to hold him," Sleipmon said in an icy cold voice.

"My sashes would hold, but _I_ wouldn't be able to. Not for long against somebody of his size and strength. Certainly not for as long as you need."

"It won't take _that_ long."

"I'm not willing to take that chance," the pink-armoured knight insisted sternly.

Sleipmon grunted. "At this rate, he'll tire himself out anyways!" he protested.

"And, until then, we let him go wild and destroy Mossridge and its inhabitants?"

"Did I _say_ that?!" Sleipmon asked, growing more annoyed with his companion.

"That's what will happen if we leave him as he is," RhodoKnightmon said coldly. "We need to kill him, Sleipmon."

Sleipmon glared at him. "You callous… There has to be a better way than to kill him. I know there is," he insisted, trying to retain his composure.

"It seems like the best and only option to me," RhodoKnightmon said, hardening his gaze.

Sleipmon returned the hard stare with one of his own. "You're conveniently forgetting about protocol, RhodoKnightmon," he told him. "The protocol for dealing with rampant Digimon is to incapacitate them."

"It seems you're also conveniently forgetting about protocol," RhodoKnightmon countered. "It's to incapacitate them unless _absolutely necessary_ to kill them. It is absolutely necessary, in my opinion."

"Well, it's not necessary, in _my_ opinion," Sleipmon answered, glancing at Imperialdramon, who was still recovering from the fall he took.

"That's because you're letting your heart rule your brain again, Sleipmon," RhodoKnightmon said. "You grew attached to him when we came here. As a result, you're not thinking rationally."

"It's not his fault. We can't punish him for this," the red digizoid clad knight told him.

"It's not about punishment. He's a danger to the Digimon of Mossridge," the pink knight replied. "It's a sad situation but we simply need to do away with him."

"It's against protocol…"

"It's not, because Imperialdramon is an immediate threat and he cannot be contained."

"No… No, I won't allow it," Sleipmon spoke lowly. He slowly turned to leer at RhodoKnightmon. "I remember that I don't like this side of you, Rhodo… You have no compassion," he said to him with a cold stare, letting his eyes linger before looking away.

RhodoKnightmon was silent for a few moments. He finally replied, "There's no room for compassion when it comes to the defence of the Digital World."

Sleipmon turned to him with a new passion in his eyes. "Yes, there is!" he answered ardently. "There always is! It's in our job, duty, and _code_, as Royal Knights, to have compassion!"

"Not to evil Digimon," RhodoKnightmon argued.

"He's not evil!" Sleipmon countered.

"He's destructive! He'll tear this place apart, you naïve fool!" RhodoKnightmon shouted, losing his patience with Sleipmon. "This isn't altruism on your part; this is you being selfish! You're willing to endanger the lives of all these other Digimon all so that you won't have to deal with the guilt of killing somebody!"

Sleipmon's eyes widened with sudden anger. "What?! _Me_ being selfish?! You're the selfish one! You're just looking for a quick solution because taking the time to incapacitate him would be too difficult and you're too lazy for something like that! Unlike you, I actually care about all Digimon. And unlike you, I know the value of a life, because I actually _have_ killed somebody once before! I guess Digimon like you get desensitized to it after a while, do you?"

RhodoKnightmon stared at him quietly. Suddenly, RhodoKnightmon's four sashes whipped forwards and wrapped around Sleipmon's arms and upper body.

Sleipmon tensed up, beginning to struggle. "Wh-Hey!" he protested in shock and confusion. He knew that their argument was getting heated, but he didn't think it was so bad that RhodoKnightmon would grab him out of anger. He almost worried that a punch from the Pile Bunker would be next.

"Get out of the way!" RhodoKnightmon shouted abruptly.

"What?!" Sleipmon responded in surprise.

Before he could say anything else, RhodoKnightmon spun around, yanking on the four metal sashes hard enough to jerk Sleipmon to the side and send him stumbling. With Sleipmon being too heavy to be able to lift up, it was the best he could do to keep him from getting hit by the oncoming dragon.

Sleipmon stumbled and tried to catch himself from the sudden pull, but all he could do was keep up the running canter or else end up tripping. He looked over his shoulder and his gold wing to see what was going on. To his surprise, Imperialdramon was bursting towards them, dashing at a frightening speed and swiftly closing in. Thanks to RhodoKnightmon, Sleipmon was able to avoid getting hit by the careening dragon, but RhodoKnightmon took the full brunt of the painful collision.

RhodoKnightmon grunted in pain as Imperialdramon slammed into his side and sent him flying through the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled over the grass a couple of times before stabbing his sash-blades into the earth to stop himself.

"Rhodo!" Sleipmon called out, turning towards him in shock and worry.

Before he could react, Imperialdramon descended on his fellow knight with his large feet and talons. RhodoKnightmon reacted quickly, shoving his Pile Bunker up towards the dragon Digimon's descending claws.

"Urgent Fear!" he announced.

The Pile Bunker's tip exploded with compressed power upon contact with the sole of Imperialdramon's foot, sending a massive shock all the way up his leg and making the whole thing jerk up towards his body. Imperialdramon roared out in pain, but RhodoKnightmon's attack couldn't stop gravity from pulling Imperialdramon's body down towards him.

Imperialdramon used that to his advantage and sent his other set of claws crashing down on RhodoKnightmon's armoured body. RhodoKnightmon grunted with effort upon catching the dragon's foot in his hands. He sneered and pushed back against it with all of his might to keep it from crushing him.

"Rhodo! Are you alright?!" Sleipmon called out, rushing over.

Imperialdramon continued pushing down and swept his long tail out, hoping to catch Sleipmon with it. The horse knight darted to the right to avoid the swing but had to retreat slightly when Imperialdramon stabbed at him with the long blade on his free foreleg.

"A little help would be lovely!" RhodoKnightmon responded, grunting as he pushed the dragon's claws back inches only for him to lose the progress that he made.

Sleipmon grimaced and circled around to face them, standing about ten meters away. "I can't use Odin's Breath. I'd end up freezing you both!" he told him.

"That means you have to shoot him!" RhodoKnightmon called over to him. He had to focus all of his attention on pushing with his arms to keep himself from getting stepped on and stabbed, leaving him unable to use his sashes to assist him.

The six-legged Royal Knight glanced down at his Muspellsheimr crossbow. "There… has to be another way," he replied, more to himself than to RhodoKnightmon.

"There isn't!" RhodoKnightmon shouted to him. "Call me selfish if you want, but I don't exactly want to end up being crushed or frozen!"

"Give me time to think!" Sleipmon said, more in a begging tone than a commanding one. He grimaced, his eyes running side to side as he tried to think of a way that he could both save RhodoKnightmon and spare Imperialdramon.

"I don't have a whole lot of time to give, I'm afraid!" RhodoKnightmon retorted, grunting as he gave another burst of effort to push Imperialdramon's foot back.

Sleipmon frowned deeper and tried to think as quickly as he could. He couldn't shoot Imperialdramon's leg because it was too heavily armoured. The only parts of Imperialdramon's body that weren't protected by armour were his neck and tail. Firing at his neck would be lethal, and hitting his tail would just prove to be a source of anger. He supposed there was a slight gap around Imperialdramon's shoulders, but he wasn't comfortable that he could make that shot; Imperialdramon was moving around way too erratically, and there was a high chance he could hit his armour or neck instead. He didn't want to shoot him in the neck or head, but…

The Royal Knight could see that RhodoKnightmon's arms were trembling. He knew that pure force of strength wasn't RhodoKnightmon's greatest skill. He didn't know how much longer Rhodo would be able to hold against the dragon.

As the seconds went on, Sleipmon was beginning to feel even more torn. He didn't want to hurt Imperialdramon for something that wasn't his fault, but he didn't want his friend or the citizens of Mossridge to get hurt because he wouldn't do anything.

"Do something, Sleipmon!" RhodoKnightmon yelled out. "I can't hold out much longer! You have to shoot him!"

"I can't!" Sleipmon said in response.

"Please, Sleipmon! If not for me, than for the Digimon of Mossridge!" RhodoKnightmon insisted.

Sleipmon grimaced down at the arrow that was loaded in the Muspellsheimr.

"I… don't know…" he murmured in a low, grave voice.

Imperialdramon growled down at RhodoKnightmon, getting frustrated at his slow progress. He raised his free foreleg up and aimed the long, jagged blade at RhodoKnightmon. With a roar, he stabbed it downwards.

RhodoKnightmon grunted and swerved his body to the side just in time to avoid being skewered.

Unable to see what happened from that angle, Sleipmon grew worried. "Rhodo! Are you alright?!" he called out.

"I won't be for much longer!" RhodoKnightmon replied in annoyance and desperation. "Stop dithering, Sleipmon! You need to kill him! You know it's the only option, but you won't admit it to yourself!"

"There has to be another way!" Sleipmon protested.

"You keep saying that but you still haven't thought of one!" RhodoKnightmon said as Imperialdramon withdrew his spike from the ground.

Imperialdramon growled and roared down at RhodoKnightmon. His gaping maw began to fill with black, crackling energy. The dark matter gathered in his mouth, and it became painfully clear to RhodoKnightmon that Imperialdramon was preparing a Mega Death attack.

"You don't have time anymore, Sleipmon!" RhodoKnightmon called to him. "He's going to use Mega Death at point blank range! He has no sense of self-preservation right now; he could kill all three of us if he fires it like this!"

Sleipmon grimaced and looked around in desperation in a last ditch hope to find something that he could use. He couldn't find anything, and he looked down at his crossbow grimly. He slowly raised his arm, and the arm-mounted crossbow along with it. With a truly pained expression on his face, he circled in front of Imperialdramon to get a clearer shot.

Once he felt satisfied with the position he was in, he stopped. Sleipmon raised the Muspellsheimr and took aim at Sleipmon's head, aiming precisely.

"I'm so sorry, Paildramon…" he whispered, preparing to fire…

In that moment, a gust of wind swept from in front of him, blowing through his face. Sleipmon was a skilled enough archer that he could ignore the wind and adjust accordingly. However, he noticed something…

What looked like a white leaf suddenly blew out of Imperialdramon's chest armour. The leafy object floated and danced on the blast of wind. As it blew, it travelled towards Sleipmon, blocking his field of vision.

Sleipmon grunted in mild annoyance, lowering his crossbow slightly. "What?" he asked, annoyed by the interruption, reluctantly acknowledging that he only had so much time until Imperialdramon fired his attack. The white thing flew over to him and got caught on the back of the Muspellsheimr, rustling in the wind.

He sneered and raised his right hand to pick the thing off of his bow so that it didn't tamper with his shot. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a piece of paper. The Royal Knight raised an eyebrow and turned it over to see if there was anything written on the other side.

_'To Paildramon. May your hopes be fulfilled. From Sleipmon of the Royal Knights.'_

Sleipmon stared down at the piece of paper in his hand, stricken into silence. In that moment, he remembered Paildramon's hopes and aspirations. He remembered the young dragon's admiration for him. He remembered his own personal code, and why he joined the Royal Knights in the first place. He remembered how much he wanted to protect Digimon from harm...

As he studied the note, a newfound determination swelled behind his steely, violet eyes.

"Sleipmon! Hurry! He's about to attack!" RhodoKnightmon called out to him, withdrawing his sashes from the ground, ready to act if Sleipmon wouldn't.

"I have an idea!" Sleipmon suddenly said.

Sleipmon lowered his crossbow and placed his left hand on the edge of the Niflheimr shield. He pulled the Niflheimr off his arm, releasing his right arm from the inside straps of the shield. Then, he gripped the Niflheimr in his right hand and began to charge towards Imperialdramon and RhodoKnightmon. Imperialdramon's mouth was brimming with dark matter and he reared his head back, about to fire it down on RhodoKnightmon.

"What are you doing?!" RhodoKnightmon asked, looking behind him at Sleipmon.

"Trust me!" Sleipmon fired back, drawing his arm back.

With a sharp grunt and a mighty throw, he hurled the Niflheimr shield through the air. The heavy, red digizoid shield sailed into the air and slammed into Imperialdramon's chin, jerking his head backwards and forcing him to redirect and fire his attack harmlessly upwards, into the sky.

As the shield fell to the ground with a thud and as Imperialdramon released a roar, Sleipmon galloped across the grass field around Imperialdramon's side. He circled around the dragon and started coming at him from behind. Sleipmon leapt into the air, pressed one hoof on Imperialdramon's tail and propelled himself further onto the large dragon's back.

Sleipmon ran up Imperialdramon's back at a full speed gallop. He took note of the giant cannon ahead of him, and how it could blast him at point blank range as soon as he got in front of it. He knew that he had to make this quick.

The horse knight leapt over Imperialdramon's cannon, his yellow wing features helping him to glide for a short time. He looked down and saw himself over Imperialdramon's helmeted head.

"Tactic Smear!" Sleipmon shouted out, just as he heard Imperialdramon beginning to build a Positron Laser blast below him. He shot his two front hooves down and slammed his solid heels onto Imperialdramon's head. He pushed down and propelled himself off of it, slamming his middle pair of feet down, and finally kicking his skull with his hind hooves for good measure.

Sleipmon bounded off Imperialdramon's head and landed in the grass close to RhodoKnightmon. He turned around to look at Imperialdramon, inwardly praying that his plan to concuss him worked.

Imperialdramon shook his head, dazed by the three mighty blows, and slowly turned his head to glare at Sleipmon. The Royal Knight's heart sunk.

The dragon's two crimson eyes then dulled and his head began to tilt forwards. Imperialdramon lurched forwards unevenly, giving out a low, growling rumble. He moved his foot off of RhodoKnightmon and lost balance, falling to the left and collapsing on his side with a thunderous, earth-trembling crash. Imperialdramon didn't get back up. He was unconscious.

Sleipmon released a long, relieved sigh that he felt like he had been holding since Paildramon evolved. He turned to RhodoKnightmon, who slowly pulled himself to his feet.

RhodoKnightmon looked over at Imperialdramon steadily. He then turned and gazed at Sleipmon. "You… managed to do it," he said, panting slightly.

"Somehow…" he uttered softly.

"Paildramon! Paildramon!" a voice shouted out.

The two Royal Knights turned to find the owner of the voice. They saw Veedramon dashing over from what was left of the riverside road. Moosemon was running behind him, and AeroVeedramon followed by wing.

"Oh, Yggdrasil," Veedramon said, running up to Imperialdramon with obvious worry in his eyes. "Paildramon!"

"Stay away from him," RhodoKnightmon commanded, walking over. "Please."

"He's just unconscious," Sleipmon added, going over as well. "We don't know if he's still unstable."

"Is he okay? At least tell me that much!" Veedramon pleaded. AeroVeedramon landed and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Just a few bumps on the head," Sleipmon assured him. "I knew his helmet would help cushion the impact. I'm hoping it's enough to bring him to his senses."

"It will be very annoying if it's not," RhodoKnightmon muttered. He frowned and turned to AeroVeedramon. "So, you told your brother about this?" he asked him, a bit annoyed that Veedramon's appearance could have caused a lot of trouble for them had he showed up a few minutes earlier.

"What?" AeroVeedramon asked.

"I did," Moosemon told him, stepping forwards.

"You?" RhodoKnightmon asked, surprised.

Moosemon nodded, grimacing a bit. "I felt he had a right to know."

"Pardon me for saying so, but I thought you didn't care," RhodoKnightmon said, putting his hands on his hips.

"I guess this situation made me think clearer, somehow…" the Mayor answered. "When I saw Veedramon as we were evacuating, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. I mean, Paildramon is his son… I know… No, all _three_ of us know the type of bond a father and son can have. We each lost ours, after all…"

"Life's too precious to waste time on blaming others," AeroVeedramon concurred, glancing at Moosemon.

Veedramon slowly nodded, squatting down and gently rubbing Imperialdramon's claws.

"I'm glad you think so," RhodoKnightmon said to them.

Sleipmon nodded and looked at Imperialdramon thoughtfully.

Imperialdramon's eyelids flickered and tensed, and a soft breath escaped his nostrils.

"He's waking up," Sleipmon cautioned everybody, a little bit concerned that he was unconscious only for a minute.

"Get back!" RhodoKnightmon ordered Veedramon, who promptly did so.

Sleipmon readied his crossbow and shield, while RhodoKnightmon gripped his sash-blades like swords.

Imperialdramon's eyes slowly opened, the crimson orbs grimacing as the light of the bright sunset suddenly hit them. He slowly turned his gaze up to stare at Sleipmon.

"…Sleip…mon…?" he asked in a tired, befuddled voice.

Sleipmon's mouth curved into a broad, relieved smile and he let out a short laugh. "You're back…"

Veedramon's eyes widened. "Does that mean… he's okay?" he asked, looking to the Royal Knights.

"I believe that's the case…" RhodoKnightmon answered, looking at Imperialdramon.

"What… What happened…?" Imperialdramon asked. He cringed in pain and let out a deep groan. "I feel weird… and I have a huge headache… and my wing hurts a lot…"

"That's because you evolved…" Sleipmon explained, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't try to get up. You might get dizzy or trip."

Imperialdramon blinked and slowly turned his head down to look at himself. "I… evolved…?" he asked in a groggy voice. "I don't remember… I never blacked out the other times I digivolved."

"Digimon typically black out when they go rampant," RhodoKnightmon informed him, folding his arms. "You caused an awful lot of trouble, you know…"

"You lost control," Sleipmon said, rubbing his shoulder. "You couldn't handle the power of this form. It's common for Digimon when they first become Imperialdramon."

"It can sometimes be avoided depending on the Digimon's willpower or if there's another Imperialdramon there to help them through it," RhodoKnightmon explained.

Imperialdramon shut his eyes tightly, grunting sharply. "I… lost control…?" he asked, a sharp note of guilt touching his voice. "Just like Granddad…?"

"It's alright, Pail—" Veedramon stopped himself as he went back to holding his claws. "Imperialdramon…" he corrected reassuringly.

Imperialdramon kept his eyes firmly shut. "…Did I hurt anybody?" he whispered, the shame obvious in his words. He slowly curled his wings down around his body.

"No…" Sleipmon assured him. "You just destroyed several buildings."

"Oh…" he responded in a deep, growly, broken voice. The Royal Knights noticed a tear forming in his large, closed eye. His eyelid tensed and the tear trickled down his snout. "I'm so ashamed…" he whimpered.

Moosemon frowned and stepped forwards. "…Don't be," he said to the young dragon. "It's not your fault. Something like this… is just a terrible accident. We can repair the damage… I'm sure you'd like to help us, wouldn't you?" He offered a small smile.

Imperialdramon nodded and opened his red, wet eyes. "Please… I'll do anything…" he replied. He sniffed and looked at Sleipmon and RhodoKnightmon. "I'm so sorry… You guys stopped me, didn't you?"

"Sleipmon did most of the work," RhodoKnightmon said to him, glancing over at the horseman.

"That's not true," Sleipmon insisted, looking back at RhodoKnightmon. He looked at Imperialdramon. "Don't worry about it… By the way, hold out your claws. I have something for you." He smiled warmly at the dragon.

Imperialdramon slowly held out his palm, in which Sleipmon placed the piece of paper that had flown out of the dragon's armour. "Huh…?" he asked, looking closer at the piece of paper.

"It's the autograph I gave you earlier," Sleipmon replied. "You dropped it after you digivolved."

"Th… Thank you…" he responded, looking up at the Royal Knight he admired.

"By the way, the offer is still open… The one about you applying for the Order when you're older," Sleipmon said.

Imperialdramon looked at him with shock and gratitude. "Even after all this?" he asked tearfully. "I… I don't know what to say… You're too nice."

"You should be grateful that he is," RhodoKnightmon told him, though he was sure Imperialdramon wouldn't pick up the implications of what he meant.

"I am…" Imperialdramon murmured.

Moosemon turned to the Royal Knights and chuckled. "I suppose this will go into your report," he said uncomfortably.

"You can bet on it," RhodoKnightmon replied. "However, how will you deal with what happened?"

Moosemon frowned. "Well… I'll need to give AeroVeedramon his job back, for starters," he explained, looking over at the winged dragon man nearby.

AeroVeedramon looked at him with surprise. "Are you sure, Moosemon?"

"I'll need the help," he told him with a small smile. "I want to rebuild what was destroyed in the town, and I'd like to rebuild something else as well."

AeroVeedramon smiled. "That's big of you."

"I'm only doing what Dad would have done," he replied.

"Aww. That's rather cute," RhodoKnightmon spoke, smiling a bit. "I'm beginning to pair you two."

They both looked at him with confusion. "Pardon?"

Sleipmon grinned and raised his hand. "Never mind," he told them, turning to Imperialdramon. "So, how are you feeling? In complete control now?"

Imperialdramon nodded weakly. "Just sore and dizzy… and really, really tired…" he responded.

Veedramon grinned and patted his arm. "Your wing will heal. We'll get you home," he told him. He looked up to where their home used to be and saw only a massive, smoking crater surrounded by unearthed dirt. "…Oh right."

"We'll sort something out, right, Moosemon?" AeroVeedramon said, looking over.

Moosemon looked back at him and smiled. "Yeah, we will."

RhodoKnightmon glanced at them and placed his hands on his hips. "Mhm. Mhm. Totally a cute couple," he said. "Anyways, I suppose that means you three can handle things here?"

"I believe so," Moosemon replied. He looked at Imperialdramon. "Well… Will he be fine now?"

"Yes. If Imperialdramons can get over that first bout of instability, they are usually completely fine from then on. A few rare cases aside, that is," RhodoKnightmon replied.

"We'll keep in touch to see how things are getting on," Sleipmon said to them. "If there's anything any of you need, just send a messenger or a letter."

"Thank you," Veedramon said to them with a heartfelt expression.

Imperialdramon looked over at them. "Yeah… For everything," he added. He managed a small, toothy smile in Sleipmon's direction.

Sleipmon smiled back at him. "We're just doing our jobs," he insisted. "Well, we should be off now. It's sunset."

RhodoKnightmon nodded. "I suppose they'll have started cooking without me," he mused aloud, sighing.

"Again, thanks for everything," the mayor said to them. "I hope our next inspection goes better."

"We're expecting great things," RhodoKnightmon chimed, turning and beginning to walk east towards the road that led away from Mossridge.

Sleipmon nodded and smiled, casting one more look to Imperialdramon. "I hope to see you in a year or so," he told him. A wry grin formed on his face. "Don't train too hard though."

Imperialdramon chuckled sheepishly. "I'll try not to…" he responded. "…Bye, Sleipmon."

"Goodbye," Sleipmon told him, turning away and trotting after RhodoKnightmon.

* * *

><p>The two Royal Knights walked side-by-side up a dirt path leading north, towards the Royal Knights' territory. Dusk was setting in and the sky was a dark blue except for the soft glow of red on the horizon. A crisp wind blew across the grassy fields surrounding them.<p>

RhodoKnightmon looked over at Sleipmon. "So… throwing your shield…" he said, looking at his fellow knight with amusement.

Sleipmon  
>grinned sheepishly and scratched his cheek with his index finger. "I started thinking about the Royal Knights and I got a bit of inspiration from Dukemon," he admitted.<p>

"Unconventional and reckless?" RhodoKnightmon asked with a light chuckle. "Yes, I can see the relation now."

There was a short pause between them.

"You know…" Rhodo spoke, "That won't work every single time…"

Sleipmon frowned a bit. He knew that his comrade was talking about his attempts to incapacitate Digimon. "I know…" he replied. "That doesn't mean I shouldn't try, though."

"I know…" RhodoKnightmon said in response, looking forwards. He was quiet for a few moments before deciding to speak up again. "…I also know that I can get very… intense during missions," he explained. "All that said, I am happy that you were able to stop Imperialdramon without deleting him. I didn't _want_ to kill him, I hope you know."

Sleipmon sighed a bit. "Yes… I know. You were just looking out for the other Digimon," he said.

"We have different ways of doing things, I suppose…" RhodoKnightmon guessed. He looked over at Sleipmon. "It really wasn't because I'm lazy and wanted a quick fix that I suggested deletion, you know…"

Sleipmon nodded. He grimaced and looked down at RhodoKnightmon apologetically. "I'm sorry, Rhodo. I said some mean things back there," he confessed. "You're not heartless; you did save me from getting hit, after all."

RhodoKnightmon looked up at him. "…Aw, I can't stay mad at those sad, adorable eyes," he answered, grinning behind his helmet. "Although… I owe you a few apologies as well. You were right about Imperialdramon, and I was wrong to call you selfish. In fact, you're probably the most selfless Digimon that I have the pleasure of knowing."

The large cavalier smiled slowly. "I appreciate that…" Sleipmon paused and looked over at him. "I still can't say I agree with you though…"

"I disagree with you as well, I'm afraid," RhodoKnightmon told him. "I do understand you though."

Sleipmon nodded in agreement. "I understand your point of view too…" he responded. "If we can do that, I'm sure we'll be fine in the future…"

A calm silence ensued as the last bit of sun disappeared over the grassy horizon.

"So… How about it?" RhodoKnightmon suddenly asked him as they walked onto the familiar road in their territory.

Sleipmon raised an eyebrow and looked down at his fellow Royal Knight. "How about what?" he asked.

RhodoKnightmon turned his head towards Sleipmon while he walked, looking the knight's big body up and down.

"Would you like to have make up sex?"

Sleipmon sighed.

"No... No, I wouldn't."


	17. Chapter 12 Part 1: Like Night and Day

(Author's Notes: Another two-part chapter. Hopefully the last one for awhile. Sorry about all of them. xD I've had trouble making these last bunch of chapters short since they're self-contained and character-driven. This is the last of the Knight-centric episodes (in a way) as it starts to put the main plot into motion. I'll try to have Part II up soon - in a week at the very latest. Read, review, and enjoy. ^^)

**Chapter 12: Like Night and Day (Part I)  
><strong>

The morning sun beamed through the windows of the Royal Knights' headquarters, lighting up the walls of the stone hallways. Dynasmon walked down a corridor, the rays of light gleaming off of his freshly polished, white armour and his glossy, red eyes.

"I think I can guess where he is…" he muttered to himself, taking a large, thick bite of the apple in his hand immediately after speaking.

Dynasmon tucked his violet wings back as he turned a corner and walked down a flight of stairs, into the underground level of the castle. Upon reaching the bottom level, he kept heading down the hallway, continuing to munch on his apple as he did. He stopped in front of a large set of wooden doors in an alcove. Pinned on the door was a long list titled '_Rules and Etiquette of the Royal Knight's Library_' in neat, eloquent DigiLetters.

"Oh, great. He made a new one," Dynasmon muttered, rolling his eyes and noting the new rule on the bottom saying, '_Do not remove this list_.' It was written just below a subsection rule that read: '_If bringing new literature into the library, smutty material is strictly forbidden. You know who you are, Dynasmon_.'

"If I know Duftmon, he'll probably be in here," he remarked, pushing the doors open with his big claws.

As he pushed the thick, intricately designed slabs of wood open, he was met with a gust of warm air and the stuffy scent of old paper. Dynasmon stepped into the castle library: a fairly large-sized room with multiple long rows of bookshelves towering at fourteen feet high and stretching two thirds of the length of the library. The shelves were loaded with literature, although not all of the shelves were totally filled. The library was finely organized into sections based on genre, such as differing types of fiction – adventure stories, historical fiction, romance, poems, mystery, etc. – and non-fiction – literature on science, history, military strategy, Digimon, among various other things. The non-fiction greatly outweighed the fiction in number. These sections were consequently grouped into tomes, books, compendiums, novels, and scrolls, and then alphabetized for maximum order and ease of access.

To the left of Dynasmon was a perfectly arranged desk with a notebook on top, opened up. When checking out a book, one would write down their name, the title of the book, the date it was checked out, and the date it was expected to be returned.

Between the shelves and the entrance, there were several tables and chairs where Digimon could read without having to check out a book, and there were more at the back of the library, as well. Dynasmon couldn't spot Duftmon among the couple Digimon at the front of the library, so he started making his way down one of the aisles.

Dynasmon walked down the aisle, flanked by books. He wasn't sure what section he was in since he didn't go in the library all that often. He finished the rest of his apple, leaving only the core in his hand as he reached the back of the library where there were lots of tables and chairs neatly arranged. To his satisfaction, Dynasmon noticed the Royal Knight clad in leopard armour sitting at one of the tables, reading a book. The dragon man grinned and walked over to him. "Hey, Duftmon!" he greeted.

"You have already managed to break two rules," Duftmon said in a quiet tone, not looking up from his book, which was titled, '_The History of the Metal Empire_ by Datamon of Facture'.

"…Huh?" Dynasmon asked, stopping on the opposite side of the table from Duftmon and eyeing him with confusion.

"One, you are speaking loudly and disruptively. Two, you are eating in the library," Duftmon explained, his eyes still scanning the page.

"I finished eating, you know," Dynasmon replied dryly, folding his muscular arms.

Duftmon put his book down and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a slender hand. "Have you gotten lost, Dynasmon?" he asked him, looking over with subdued annoyance. "I cannot think of another reason of why you are here in the library." He narrowed his green eyes slowly. "You aren't here to contaminate the library with your disgusting books about scantily clad female Digimon, are you? It clearly states in the rules-"

Dynasmon raised his hand to stop the leopard knight. "Relax, Duftmon. I only came here to find you."

"I am very busy," Duftmon responded curtly. He looked him over. "Why are you dressed in your armour rather than those tatters you call clothes?"

He rolled his eyes. "Alphamon is summoning the Royal Knights for a meeting," Dynasmon told him.

Duftmon sighed. "Very well," he replied, standing up and closing the thick book. "Duties before pleasure."

Dynasmon eyed the book in Duftmon's hand. "_That's 'pleasure'?_" he thought to himself with an ironic grin. "_Well, this_ is _Duftmon we're talking about_…"

The brown armoured knight stood up and walked past Dynasmon, carrying the book in his hands. Dynasmon placed his apple core on the table that Duftmon was previously at and made to follow him. Duftmon looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing?" Duftmon asked. He eyed the apple core. "You aren't seriously going to leave that trash there."

Dynasmon blinked and looked behind him at the remainders of the apple. "Uh… Somebody else will clean it up."

"You will clean it up, you irresponsible sloven," Duftmon told him sternly. "I will not have this place of learning turned into a rubbish deposit."

"…From one apple core?" Dynasmon asked, chuckling to himself and going to pick it up. "You really are a neat freak, Duftmon. Emphasis on the 'freak'."

"Laugh if it pleases you, but I've seen the inside of your room. Not to mention the smells coming from it," the strategist countered, making his way down the aisle.

"That's the smell of man, Duftmon," he explained proudly. "Though I don't expect you to know what that smells like. You spend as much time grooming yourself in the bathroom as RhodoKnightmon. Do you go into Leopard Mode and brush your fur too?"

"I don't have to answer that," Duftmon answered as he walked to the non-fiction history section of the library and very carefully put the book back in its proper alphabetical spot.

"No, I guess you don't," Dynasmon teased, walking past the Royal Knight and out into the alcove.

Duftmon pushed the book in fully before turning to follow the dragon man. "Do you know what the meeting is about?" he asked him.

"No, but I'm guessing it's about some of the things that went on yesterday. Sleipmon and Rhodo came back looking a little worse for wear," the white-armoured dragon observed.

"I suppose we shall see," Duftmon said, walking behind Dynasmon as they made it to the stairs. He tried to pass the large Royal Knight ahead of him but found he wasn't able to pass him due to his outstretched wingspan. He frowned with mild irritation. "Don't you know that it is rude not to tuck back your wings while walking?

Dynasmon glanced over his shoulder. "It's also rude to call someone an irresponsible sloven, along with many of the other things you do," he reminded him with a grin.

"That is beside the point," Duftmon responded sternly. "Stop being childish and tuck back your wings so that I can pass.

"Like this?" he asked innocently, sweeping his wings back behind him where Duftmon was so that they lightly whacked the knight and got in his face and personal space.

"Gah! D-Dynasmon!" he sputtered in surprise and annoyance, raising his hands and angrily pushing the violet wings away from him. "You immature dunderhead!"

As Dynasmon chuckled at his uptight companion, Duftmon shoved past him in a huff. As the leopard knight sped up, Dynasmon followed him and eyed the two wings sprouting out from the backs of his shoulders. "Don't forget to tuck your wings back, Duftmon!" he reminded him playfully, causing a growl from the Digimon in question.

The two Royal Knights made their way down a corridor to the castle foyer, where they turned left into the great hall. Upon entering, they could see that, on the opposite end of the hall, the doors of the council chamber had been propped open until the rest of the Royal Knights arrived. They noticed the familiar red cape of Dukemon among the Digimon's bodies moving around as they got settled in.

Dynasmon and Duftmon made it across the great hall and walked into the council room.

"Dynasmon, close those, please," Alphamon's deep, authoritative voice rang out from the Siege Perilous. "Everybody's here now."

Dynasmon closed the two double doors and sat down at his seat at the round, white table. The eleven knights sat in their seats, and OuRyuumon and Zero ARMS: Grani hovered behind Alphamon and Dukemon, respectively.

Duftmon eyed Alphamon's friend and the leader of the reconnaissance squadrons, wondering why they were there. "Why are they here as well?" he asked tactlessly.

"We have just as much right to be here as you do, pussy cat!" OuRyuumon retorted defensively.

Grani rolled his eyes. "I have relevant information, Duftmon," he explained.

Dukemon smirked and nudged Examon's winged arm with his elbow. "See? It's not just you he alienates," he whispered.

Examon gave a single, light chuckle. "I'm beginning to see that," he whispered in reply.

OuRyuumon glared over at Examon, folding his arms. "What are you laughing at, tent wings?" he growled, mistaking Examon's laugh for a sarcastic response to what he said.

"'Tent wings'?" UlforceVeedramon asked with a laugh. "Is that the best you can come up with? There are loads of overcompensation jokes you could make about dear, old Ex-sama. I should really take you under my wing, OuRyuumon. Oh, now _there's_ a good wing joke. The last Digimon who Ex-sama took under his wing got agoraphobia."

Alphamon raised his hand and gently palmed his face. "We're off to a great start," he muttered in exasperation as the talking started to escalate.

"So it seems…" Omegamon mumbled beside him.

Alphamon's gaze hardened and he stood up, commanding attention. "Enough, everyone!" the Aloof Hermit said sternly, silencing the chatter. "Normally, I have patience for your bickering and jokes, but I'm in short supply of that today."

The air of seriousness that the room and statuses commanded swept back over everybody.

"We're sorry, Alphamon," Magnamon apologized.

"Is something wrong?" UlforceVeedramon asked, the smile gone from his face.

"Yes…" Alphamon admitted, sitting back down. "But we'll get to that after. First, Sleipmon, RhodoKnightmon. Tell us what happened at the inspection yesterday."

RhodoKnightmon frowned and crossed his arms. "But, Alphamon. We have written everything up in our reports," he told him. "Why must we explain?"

"With what's going on, not everybody may have the time to read over your reports," Alphamon answered in a weighty, foreboding tone.

"Ominous…" Dynasmon said aloud, eyeing Alphamon.

"Yes, it is," was Alphamon's reply. "Try to make it quick, please."

Sleipmon and RhodoKnightmon glanced at one another. "Very well…" Sleipmon said, starting them off. "As you all know, RhodoKnightmon and I went to Mossridge for a routine inspection."

RhodoKnightmon nodded. "While there, we found that there was a bit of a dispute taking place between two families: Moosemon, the mayor, and Veedramon and AeroVeedramon, two of his advisors," he explained. "Apparently they couldn't stand each other due to an incident over a decade ago where a newly digivolved Imperialdramon went rampant in the town."

Examon's eyes narrowed softly at what he heard.

"Went rampant?" Magnamon asked.

"Yes. That Imperialdramon was Veedramon and AeroVeedramon's father," RhodoKnightmon told them. "He destroyed a quarter of the town, along with his best friend, who had been trying to stop him."

Examon's fists suddenly clenched and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, repositioning himself as if he had just sat on his tail. He turned his gaze away from the Royal Knights' eyes and faces, instead finding himself looking over at the stained glass window of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode.

Dukemon couldn't help but notice the actions of the dragon sitting beside him, but he thought nothing of it and looked at RhodoKnightmon and Sleipmon. "Go on…"

"The Digimon that he killed was a Pegasusmon. Moosemon's father," Sleipmon explained. "After Imperialdramon calmed down, his friend's family was understandably furious with him. I'm sure many things were said, and he already felt deep guilt over what happened, so he eventually killed himself. Those events are what started the animosity."

"That's terrible," Magnamon said sympathetically.

"Yes…" Sleipmon said softly. "Anyways… The same thing happened to Veedramon's son, Paildramon, yesterday. He evolved to Imperialdramon and couldn't handle the evolution. He started to run rampant, so Rhodo and I had to stop him."

"How did that end?" Craniamon asked cuirously.

"After a dangerous amount of time, Sleipmon was able to incapacitate him," RhodoKnightmon said, glancing at the horse knight. "Though I had initially suggested a quicker method."

"I'm just glad nobody was hurt," Sleipmon said with a small smile.

Examon's frowned, looking away from the mosaic and back down at the pristine white table top. "You won't always be so lucky with tactics like that," he spoke suddenly and brusquely, surprising several of the Royal Knights.

Dukemon looked at him with a frown, and the smile vanished from Sleipmon's face, which turned to silently gaze at Examon.

"I agree with Examon on this matter," Duftmon announced, surprising everybody just as much that he didn't disagree on principle. "Soft, half-hearted approaches like that are doomed to end in disaster. Certainty in battle is a necessity."

"Nothing is certain," Dukemon spoke up in Sleipmon's defence. "I think that was the right thing to do, Sleipmon."

"Thank you," Sleipmon replied, though still eyeing Examon for a few more seconds. "Well, that's about it. We contained the situation and the family feud was settled."

"I see… Thank you, you two," Alphamon told them. "I'm glad you sorted things without any fatalities."

Sleipmon nodded. He looked at Alphamon a bit nervously. "So… what's next?"

"Yeah. What's making you so serious?" UlforceVeedramon asked. "Well, more serious than usual…"

Dukemon exchanged looks with Alphamon. "Want me to answer that?" he asked his commander.

Alphamon shook his head. "It's fine, Dukemon," he assured him. The leader of the Royal Knights turned looked around the table. "It's about what Dukemon, Craniamon, Grani, and Examon found yesterday, when they went to investigate the rift that was found in Dusk Forest."

"You're going to explain why you and Dukemon seemed so tense when we reported back yesterday evening?" Craniamon asked, leering at Alphamon curiously.

Examon looked at him as well. He, too, was curious. He only knew what he and Craniamon observed, not the larger implications of whatever it meant.

"I'll get to that… Let's start with what you found," Alphamon told him.

"The rift that's releasing dark data?" Craniamon asked, folding his arms. "It grew bigger. Didn't it, Examon?"

Examon nodded, remembering that it was much shorter when they first came across it. "Definitely. It's about a half meter longer and a few centimeters wider across."

"It's releasing more dark data too," Craniamon added shortly. "Nobody wanted to risk getting close."

Dukemon frowned and nodded. He secretly hadn't wanted to get close himself; for fear that it might react with his Digital Hazard.

"Dusk Forest is no longer safe," Grani spoke up. "It's on complete lockdown. We don't want more Darkdramon situations happening."

"That doesn't sound good," Magnamon said, a pensive look in his eyes. "Maybe I should go down there. The holy power of Miracles might be able to counterbalance the dark data," he suggested.

"Perhaps," Alphamon agreed. "We were thinking something like that yesterday, actually. That's why I contacted the Warrior Ten over the communication program. I wanted to get AncientGarurumon and Anubismon down to Dusk Forest, since they're the Warrior of Light and the Warrior of Darkness. I hoped they might be able to use their powers to do something about it. Anyways, KaiserGreymon and I talked, and that's when I found out something."

"What might that be?" Duftmon asked.

"They discovered a dark rift of their own."

A brief silence ensued.

"That's… not good," Dynasmon said, wincing.

"Not at all," Omegamon agreed.

Examon frowned. "Sorry, but… am I missing something?" he asked.

"I think I must be too," Sleipmon said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Duftmon looked at Alphamon, wondering what he was getting at, and frustrated that he was one of the ones that wasn't sure what he was talking about. It further annoyed him that Dynasmon of all Digimon knew what was going on while he didn't, though he supposed it was because Dynasmon was one of the founding members of the Order.

"Oh, my apologies," Alphamon said, looking at the newer members. "I guess we never mentioned it because we thought the situation would never come up. For all intents and purposes, the issue was out of sight and at the very backs of our minds."

"What issue?" Craniamon asked.

"The Dark Area…" Alphamon explained to them with a serious frown. "It's an area that was created deep below the surface of the Digital World as an inescapable prison. It's where some of the most dangerous Digimon have been sealed away."

"Sealed away?" Duftmon queried. "Why not simply delete them?"

"It was deemed too dangerous based on the thought that when they were reformatted into a Digi-egg, they might retain some of their old power and evil data," Alphamon explained.

"That's ridiculous," Duftmon answered haughtily. "It's called 'reformatting' for a reason."

"Maybe you think so, but it was the prevailing thought at the time," Omegamon added in Alphamon's defence.

"Besides, it's not always that simple, trying to delete powerful Digimon," the Lord of the Empty Seat stated.

"What sorts of Digimon are sealed down there?" Sleipmon asked, frowning. "Why not put all our prisoners there?"

"There are several imprisoned there, but not many. Each one is extremely dangerous. And it would be risky trying to overpopulate it, so we try to use the standard prisons unless we absolutely have to put them in the Dark Area," Alphamon explained. "Some of you may remember the name 'DarkKnightmon'. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode was the one who sealed him down there."

Omegamon and Dukemon narrowed their eyes at the name. Magnamon frowned and OuRyuumon looked away quietly. Dynasmon folded his arms. "There's a name I never wanted to hear again," he said.

"Who is he?" Examon questioned.

"Let's just say he's a dangerous, evil Digimon and leave it at that, for now," Alphamon responded. "What are important are the rifts."

"Ah, you believe that the rifts are related to the Dark Area," Duftmon deduced.

"Yeah," Dukemon answered. "More specifically, we think that the barrier of the Dark Area is weakening somehow."

"But it was supposed to be so secure," Magnamon said with a perturbed frown.

"Do you think it's happening from the inside or the outside?" Duftmon asked.

"We can't say," Alphamon answered. "It shouldn't be possible for anybody in the Dark Area to regain the necessary power to be able to escape."

"Perhaps it's natural deterioration," Omegamon suggested.

"That's not supposed to happen," the leader of the Royal Knights said.

"More importantly, what do we do about it?" RhodoKnightmon asked.

"We must increase our investigations. Once we determine that these rifts are from the Dark Area, then we can figure out what to do," Alphamon said.

"Imperialdramon Paladin Mode knows more about this stuff than we do," Dukemon pointed out. "He was the one who put DarkKnightmon in there."

"Yes, but where is he?" Omegamon replied, asking an answerless question.

Examon looked surprised. He turned to Grani. "Imperialdramon Paladin Mode is still alive?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes, but he left after founding the Royal Knights, and they've only seen him a couple times since," Grani explained.

Alphamon spoke up again. "I mentioned that I sent a communiqué to the Warrior Ten. I want two of you to go the north half of the continent where the Warrior Ten operate. I want you to investigate that rift that they found. AncientGarurumon and Anubismon will be coming down here to look at ours as well. Any volunteers?" he asked, although already looking to see Dynasmon's response.

Dynasmon raised his hand up. "I'll go. I haven't seen the salamander in awhile," he offered, grinning.

"Who?" Examon asked him.

"KaiserGreymon," Dynasmon replied, turning to him. "He and I know each other back from before we helped start our teams. We met in our adventurer days."

"Dynasmon's probably the closest of us to the Warrior Ten," Magnamon added.

Alphamon nodded. "So, that's one. Anybody else?"

Duftmon raised his hand as well. "I will go. I wish to inspect this rift."

"You?" Dynasmon asked incredulously, arching his eyebrow in disapproval. "You want to come with me to our allies' base? No offence, but you're not exactly the best Digimon for the job."

Duftmon narrowed his green eyes, feeling somewhat insulted and confused. "Why am I not?"

Dynasmon rubbed the back of his horned head. "You're too..."

"Arrogant?" Dukemon suggested.

"Insensitive?" Magnamon offered.

"Contentious?" Craniamon proposed.

"Condescending?" UlforceVeedramon put forth.

"Blunt?" Examon asked.

"Opinionated?" RhodoKnightmon inquired.

"Ugly!" OuRyuumon added sharply. Alphamon turned and gave OuRyuumon a stern look. The gold serpent shrugged flippantly. "I thought we were saying stuff we don't like about him... I've got a load more."

"Mature," Alphamon murmured with a roll of his eyes as Duftmon started sneering. "You can go, Duftmon. Despite his faults, he is very intelligent and astute." He looked at Duftmon specifically. "This isn't a diplomatic trip, but please try your best not to put your foot in your mouth."

Duftmon folded his arms indignantly. "I'm sure I have no idea what any of you are talking about," he answered. He turned his head sideways and muttered under his breath, "Fools..."

Dynasmon chuckled. "I'll keep an eye on him. He can read books and be antisocial with AncientGarurumon and Anubismon."

"They're coming down here, remember?" Craniamon pointed out to him.

"In that case, he can talk tactics and books with Shurimon, as long as you don't scare the poor guy again."

"Remember that you two are going there to check out that rift, not to socialize," Alphamon reminded them, but particularly Dynasmon.

"Exactly, Dynasmon," the leopard knight said pointedly. "No alcoholic beverages either. Your mind is dull enough without the help of ale."

"Do I really have to go with him, Alphamon?" Dynasmon complained, although half-jokingly. "It's going to be like this for the whole, long journey. You know he doesn't have a filter. I can't go through a six hour flight of this."

"You aren't exactly my first choice for company either, Dynasmon," Duftmon countered.

"Your first choice for company would be a book," the dragon man quipped.

An annoyed, exasperated sigh left Alphamon's mouth. "Can none of you get along for more than ten minutes?" he asked with an irritable gaze in his red eyes. He abruptly stood to his feet waved his hand impatiently, not in any mood to deal with the usual back-and-forth between certain knights that he often faced. "Go, the both of you. That's an order. You two may not get along, but I'm sure you'll manage. You're _Royal Knights_. With that title comes responsibilities and maturity that I expect from each and _every_ one of you. If you really find it _that_ difficult, then perhaps it's time you revaluated whether you have the right to call yourself a Royal Knight," he reprimanded, no longer speaking to just Duftmon and Dynasmon, but to all of the Royal Knights there.

Omegamon slowly frowned, watching as Alphamon walked away from the table and left the council hall, wordlessly signalling that the meeting was over. An awkward silence swept over the Royal Knights. A few uncomfortable glances were exchanged and many contemplated Alphamon's uncharacteristically harsh words.

Omegamon couldn't help but notice OuRyuumon follow after Alphamon a couple of moments later. He turned away, back to the Royal Knights. "...Excuse him," he spoke softly. "This dilemma with the rifts has been troubling him, so he's a bit... agitated."

"Yeah... but he does have a point," Dukemon said, standing up and putting a hand on his hip. "It's times like this that we all need to band together like the team that we are."

Dynasmon nodded. "Royal Knights need to put their differences aside when there's work to be done," he agreed.

"I suppose I can agree with that," Duftmon spoke, glancing at Dynasmon.

"Are you feeling okay, Duftmon?" UlforceVeedramon laughed. "You agreed with both Examon and Dukemon in the span of twenty minutes."

Duftmon stared at him wordlessly. He stood to his feet. "I'm going to my room to prepare," he told them. "I assume the meeting is adjourned with Alphamon's exit."

Dynasmon stood up as well and stretched his arms and wings, groaning. "I'd better get ready too. It's going to be a long flight."

"Especially with him as your company," UlforceVeedramon joked as Duftmon left the room.

"Don't say that, Ulforce," Magnamon chastised. "Duftmon's okay. He's just a bit socially awkward."

"Socially oblivious, you mean," Ulforce responded playfully.

"Maybe, but still. You heard what Alphamon said. We need to get along," the Royal Knight of Miracles insisted.

"I'm all for that, but Duftmon can get the better of even the most thick-skinned Digimon," the blue dragon man replied. "He can't help himself. I don't know why he even uses a sword when his tongue is sharper than any blade I've seen."

Magnamon rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk, Ulforce..."

Dukemon walked over to Dynasmon, with Grani following him. "Don't weigh yourself down by packing too much," he advised.

Dynasmon smirked slightly. "I know." His smile curled into a light frown. "Dukemon... Do you think all this has anything to do with _him_?"

The crimson knight shrugged. "It's really too soon to make guesses like that. I don't know why it would," he responded.

"I guess so..." he answered. "It's just that Alphamon seems really bothered. You picked up on that too, right?"

"You mean when he chewed us out?" Dukemon asked. "Yeah, I noticed. That doesn't necessarily mean it has to do with _that_ though. I mean, I don't have to explain how it would be a disaster if there was something wrong with the Dark Area's containment system."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Dynasmon said in agreement. "Let's hope it's not that." The dragon man nodded at Dukemon and Grani. 'Well, I'll see you in a few days."

Dukemon waved to him as he walked out into the great hall. Grani turned to Dukemon. "Do you think he'll be okay with Duftmon?" he asked him.

Dukemon grinned. "Just him and Duftmon alone? I give it an hour before an argument breaks out."

Grani sighed. "I guess they're just too different..." the Zero ARMS said. "Anyways, I'll get my reconnaissance squadrons out looking for more rifts."

The red knight nodded. "Do that. Hopefully the thing that Duftmon and Dynasmon are going to see isn't what we think it is..."

* * *

><p>It had been eight hours since Dynasmon and Duftmon had left their castle and started heading north. It was faster than usual since they flew by wing had minimal breaks.<p>

The two Royal Knights now traipsed through a thick forest, following a dirt path so that they didn't have to fight through plants and branches. They heard the rough splashing of a nearby river to their right. Although they couldn't see the river through the trees from where they were, they had passed over it earlier via a small bridge. The stream began at a waterfall located in the mountain range up ahead.

The path was wide and clear enough that they could see the grassy clearing at the base of the cliffs up ahead. It was there that the waterfall descended from the rocky heights, and it was there that the Warrior Ten's headquarters was located.

"We're almost there," Dynasmon told his travelling companion excitedly. He was both eager to see the Warrior Ten and get away from Duftmon's company.

"Do not let your guard down," Duftmon replied. "Shurimon's ninja traps and plant traps are still around."

"Relax," Dynasmon answered, looking down at the map in his claws. "AtlurKabuterimon drew this map of the area for us and labelled all of the traps. With his cartography skills and his photographic memory, I doubt it's inaccurate at all."

"Dynasmon!" Duftmon called out in annoyance, swinging his sabre, the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi, out and whacking Dynasmon's chest with the smooth sides.

Dynasmon staggered backwards a step, mostly out of surprise since it was a relatively light hit. He turned and glared at Duftmon. "Hey! What was that for?" he asked angrily.

Duftmon rolled his eyes and pointed down at the ground using the tip of his sabre. Dynasmon lowered his map and looked at what the metal tip was pointed at. Right in front of him, where he was about to step, was a thin tripwire that was presumably rigged to trigger a trap when stepped on.

"Oh..." he murmured sheepishly. "Yeah, that one's on the map too."

"Use your eyes, Dynasmon," Duftmon advised him, walking forwards to the grassy clearing.

Dynasmon followed him, making sure to look out for any more traps.

The two stepped out onto the clearing. Before them was a large, imposing structure standing at the base of the mountainous cliffs, opposite in the clearing from the forest. The keep had once been abandoned, but it had been restored. Although the outside was constructed of sturdy, high-grade rock, fused together with firm, adhesive mortar, the stony exterior had vines and moss creeping up its sides. Along with the fact that it was built against the mountain side, and the fact that the mountain's waterfall drained into a river just to the right of the keep, this made it look very much it tune with nature.

It looked like it could hold steadfast against most attacks, if it needed to. The keep was dwarfed in size when compared to the Royal Knights' castle, but the Warrior Ten didn't have a standing garrison to house, only the ten warriors as well as a few friends and allies on occasion. As a result, it was much smaller, though it was large enough to have the essentials for a former-military outpost. It stood at about forty feet high, not counting the single watch tower protruding high into the air. There were three angular bastions fixed to the main building, one at the front and one of the left and right side. With these bastions came ramparts leading around the keep, strategically watching over all of the approaches.

"It sure is quaint, huh?" Dynasmon asked, walking towards the entrance, which was to the right of the front bastion.

Duftmon hummed and observed the keep as they approached. "It isn't what I—"

He was interrupted when a strong, accented voice called out to them. "Hey, Dynasmon!" the voice snarled amiably from the ramparts.

Dynasmon and Duftmon looked up to see KaiserGreymon standing on the parapet, waving at them with a large grin. They could see the form of a white wolfman standing beside the dragon.

AncientGarurumon looked down at them and then turned to KaiserGreymon. "KaiserGreymon, don't—"

KaiserGreymon lunged off the two storey rampart and landed on his feet beside the Royal Knights with a large thud.

"...jump," AncientGarurumon sighed, finishing his thought too late. He followed KaiserGreymon's example and nimbly jumped down beside the Warrior of Flame.

"Kaiser!" Dynasmon greeted with a broad smile, turning and walking over to him. "Still as reckless and impulsive as ever, I see."

KaiserGreymon smirked as the two met in a manly hug, patting each others' backs before pulling away and clasping one another's wrists firmly. "You can say that again. Though, it's partly to scare AncientGarurumon," he told him, grinning over at the Warrior of Light.

AncientGarurumon rolled his eyes and looked at Duftmon. Duftmon nodded tersely. AncientGarurumon nodded back.

"Right. Well, pleasantries out of the way, this isn't a social call," KaiserGreymon said. "Should we go inside? Some of the others are in, but not everybody."

"Yeah, sure," Dynasmon said, letting KaiserGreymon walk past him and type in the passcode to unlock the sturdy, mechanical door leading into the keep. The entrance opened up with a mechanical droning, allowing them to walk into a stone corridor leading in. Once all four were inside, AncientGarurumon pressed a button that closed the door behind them.

Once at the end of the corridor, they walked into a foyer, much smaller and less extravagant than the Royal Knights'. Instead of marble, it had grey brick flooring and walls. There were a few couches and chairs, along with a rug, for furniture.

On one of these couches sat a female figure. She wore a blue suit and rainbow-scaled armour over here humanoid body. Instead of the usual fish-like tail that AncientMermaidmon would sport, she had a pair of slender legs that she would use when on land, reserving her more aquatic body for when she was swimming. AncientMermaidmon stood up and brushed her white hair back with a hand upon seeing the four enter.

"Look what we have here," she said playfully, looking at the two Royal Knights.

Dynasmon grinned when he saw the Warrior of Water. "Heeey, Mer," he greeted with his own playful tone. "You're looking as beautiful as ever."

"Awww, thanks, Dynie," AncientMermaidmon replied in a sing song voice, walking over to him. She hugged him and then pulled back to look him over. "And you look... okay," she teased, poking her tongue out at him.

"You have some pretty high standards if the most handsome of the Royal Knights is only 'okay'," Dynasmon responded grinning and folding his arms after returning the hug.

"I thought that was Alphamon, followed by Dukemon," she mused, placing her hands on her hips and mock-thinking.

KaiserGreymon grinned. "She's spoiled for choice over here when it comes to handsome men that are nice to look at," he told Dynasmon. "Especially because of me. Don't you think so, Garuru?" he asked kiddingly, looking at AncientGarurumon.

"I wouldn't know," he replied uninterestedly, walking into another room to their left before KaiserGreymon could drag him into a conversation he didn't want to be in.

"Ick, you?" AncientMermaidmon teased the Warrior of Flames as she followed AncientGarurumon into the living room. "I was thinking more PileVolcamon."

"You weren't saying that back when we were an item!" he called out, following them along with Dynasmon and Duftmon.

Duftmon glanced at Dynasmon blandly. "I thought the pleasantries were supposed to be over..." he dryly stated.

"Relax, Duftmon. We haven't seen each other in ages, it feels like," Dynasmon told him.

"Two and a half months?"

"I did say 'feels like'," the dragon man answered. Something then drew his attention. "Hey, Atlur! Have you been working on those jokes?"

A large, blue bug Digimon stood up from one of the couches in the living room. He had been drawing on a piece of paper on the coffee table in front of him. "Hey, Dynasmon. Long time no see," he said with a wide grin, referencing the fact that he didn't have eyes for vision in that form, instead using electroreception.

"Apparently not," Dynasmon said, chuckling anyways.

"Heh. Why work on perfection?" AtlurKabuterimon asked. "So, are we having that meeting now?"

"Please!" Duftmon said, almost desperately.

"Alright, alright," KaiserGreymon said. He nudged Dynasmon and whispered, eyeing Duftmon. "Bloody hell, he's still as uptight as AncientGarurumon, isn't he?"

"Probably more so," Dynasmon whispered back.

"I heard that," AncientGarurumon told them, his canine ear twitching.

"As did I," Duftmon announced with a glare.

Sheepishly, KaiserGreymon scratched the back of his head and grinned, heading towards the door on the far end of the right hand wall, which led out to a hallway. "Er. Right. Let's gather in the war room, shall we?" he asked.

The six headed for the door. Dynasmon went ahead and held the door open for AncientMermaidmon, smiling broadly as he did.

"Such a chivalrous Royal Knight," she teased, raising her index finger and playfully dragging the soft tip across his chin, winking as she passed him.

"Only for beautiful women," he told her, winking back.

"That, I can believe," Duftmon muttered.

AtlurKabuterimon followed AncientMermaidmon through the doorway, allowing Dynasmon to hold the door for him as well. "Why, thank you kind sir," he told him with a broad smile. His fearsome mouth grinned ironically. "Can I offer you a kiss for your services?"

Dynasmon laughed. "Try it and I'm calling the Royal Knights for reinforcements; I'll tell them you're trying to eat me."

The insect Digimon chuckled and passed him. "You really are only chivalrous to the girls," he replied.

Dynasmon followed him. "And I here I thought you were saving yourself for –YOW!" the dragon man shouted when a soft current of electricity shot through his hand and travelled up his arm, surprising him for than anything else.

"Whoops. Sorry!" the Warrior of Thunder apologized insincerely, making a point to grin over his shoulder at Dynasmon.

The group went into the first door on the left. The war room was not unlike that of the Royal Knights'. It was a bit smaller, but it had the same electronic table in the center. In fact, many of the maps in the table's databases were based off of the maps that AtlurKabuterimon created, and the table was partially designed by Shurimon, the Warrior of Wood, along with the Royal Knights' technician, MetallifeKuwagamon, and one or two other collaborators.

The ninja Digimon in question was already inside the war room when they walked in. Shurimon looked up in surprise. He had been devising mock-tactics on the table, using its three-dimensional feature. "Oh, D-D-D-Duftmon, Dynasmon," he stammered, taken off guard by their arrival. "Hello."

"Hey, Shurimon," Dynasmon said with a light grin.

KaiserGreymon stepped forwards to the glowing table. "Right. Shurimon. Do you mind bringing up the map of where we found the rift?" the leader of the Warrior Ten asked his strategist, the strategic table's blue light casting upon his features.

"Not at all," Shurimon said, closing the map that he had been using and getting to work on the table, pressing several buttons in front of him.

"Now, are you absolutely sure that this is a dark rift?" Duftmon questioned, folding his arms. "The same kind as the one that we found in Dusk Forest?"

"Small fissure releasing a bunch of dark data?" KaiserGreymon asked with a frown. Duftmon and Dynasmon nodded. "Then yes. I'm pretty bloody sure."

"It's either that or the Digital World sprung a leak," AtlurKabuterimon suggested with a chuckle.

"This is serious, AtlurKabuterimon," AncientGarurumon told the Warrior of Lightning with a serious stare."

"Yeah, I'm kinda sensing that," the insect Digimon replied, scratching the back of his horned head.

Dynasmon looked around, noting that it was just KaiserGreymon, AncientGarurumon, AncientMermaidmon, AtlurKabuterimon, and Shurimon in the room with them. "Is it just us seven? Not going to call the other five, Kaiser?"

KaiserGreymon shook his head. "They're busy doing different things. Besides, this is more for your and Duftmon's benefit than for ours," he explained, watching as Shurimon brought up a new map and centered in on a specific location. "We've already talked about the rift."

"Busy? Alphamon was hoping that Anubismon would come down to look at our rift," Dynasmon explained.

"He's already on his way," AncientGarurumon answered.

"PileVolcamon and AncientKazemon are at our rift to make sure that nobody gets corrupted by it," KaiserGreymon added. "They'll be there when you two go to check it out."

"Has anybody had a dark evolution because of it yet?" Duftmon queried.

"Luckily not," AncientMermaidmon said with a shrug. "We heard about what happened with you guys, so everyone knew to be careful."

"How'd you guys come across it?" Dynasmon asked their allies.

"Us!" AtlurKabuterimon cheerfully said, using one of his four arms to point at himself and another to point at AncientMermaidmon.

"Yeah, we were exploring this deep pit-gorge-thingy. It was full of all these stone pillars. It was pretty cool," AncientMermaidmon explained. "It was showing on that DADAR thing, so the buggy and I went to look around."

"Yeah, I marked it down on my map," AtlurKabuterimon mentioned, pointing over to the map just as Shurimon brought it up.

Shurimon gestured to the three dimensional representation of the crater-like depression in the ground. It had cliff-like edges all around the perimeter, and was about twenty meters deep. "This is the pit itself," he explained. He pressed a button and brought up a broader map that was large enough that the deep crater was only an indicated point. "And this is the pit in relation to our headquarters here. You should be able to find it."

"Do you have a map that we may take with us?" Duftmon asked. "I fear that Dynasmon need it."

"What about you?! Dynasmon shot back defensively.

Shurimon smiled sheepishly. "Y-Yes, of course. AtlurKabuterimon?"

"I'll get 'em," the blue bug Digimon responded, walking out of the war room.

Dynasmon placed his large, clawed hands on his hips and looked over at KaiserGreymon. "So, Kaiser," he asked. "What do you make of this rift business?"

"Beyond me, mate," KaiserGreymon responded. "It doesn't sound good though. Do you think that—"

"That it's the Dark Area?" Dynasmon finished for him. "Maybe... That's what Alphamon thinks."

KaiserGreymon frowned deeply. "Let's hope not. I've had this bad feeling these past few weeks. I wonder if it has to do with my relation to the Digital World's Dragon Veins..."

AncientGarurumon was extremely quiet. If one looked really closely, they would be able to tell that the fur on the back of his neck was standing on end.

"Anyways, if it is the Dark Area, is it the work of someone on the outside, one particular prisoner, or all of the prisoners working together?" KaiserGreymon asked.

Dynasmon shrugged. "Each of those situations is as unlikely as the others," he explained. "With the security measures that have been in place for countless years..."

"Well, maybe it's not as unlikely as we thought," the Warrior of Flame replied.

AncientGarurumon closed his eyes. "I'm going after Anubismon," he said suddenly.

Dynasmon looked over. "Oh, okay. So, to the rift in Dusk Forest?"

KaiserGreymon raised an eyebrow, looking at him with both surprise and intrigue. "But you were just at our rift this morni—"

"I'm going!" he said sharply, with a touch of anger in his voice. He walked out of the room, not even casting a further glance towards KaiserGreymon.

KaiserGreymon shrugged and sighed, once again annoyed and mystified by the Warrior of Light.

"What's with Garuru?" Dynasmon asked, looking over at KaiserGreymon.

"Like I'd know," KaiserGreymon responded. "That mutt's as moody as women. ...No offence, AncientMermaidmon."

"None taken," she replied in a chipper tone. "I know that guys are as moody as us; you and Garuru are proof of that."

"I am not moody!" KaiserGreymon snarled.

"He said with a growl," AncientMermaidmon replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

KaiserGreymon grunted and folded his arms.

"But seriously, what did you do to your lover this time?" she asked, grinning.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, WE ARE _NOT_ LOVERS! HIM AND ME?! DISGUSTING!" the dragon shouted heatedly.

"Then why are you getting so worked up? Hmm?" the Warrior of Water teased.

"Because you're talking rubbish, fish brains!" he retorted angrily.

Dynasmon laughed, but Duftmon merely tapped his foot, annoyed. "May we get going now?" he asked impatiently. "Time is being wasted."

"Keep your fur on; I'm back!" AtlurKabuterimon replied, walking in and holding up a map in one of his hands. "Got the map."

"Good," Duftmon spoke, walking over to him.

"But it'd be faster if I just lead you two there, myself," AtlurKabuterimon offered, grinning with his broad, fearsome mouth. "With my memory, there's no chance you two would get lost."

Duftmon frowned. He didn't enjoy the concept of having to put up with AtlurKabuterimon's jokes and quips for all that time. "I don't think that's necessary—"

"That's a good idea, Atlur," Dynasmon interrupted.

"In that case, I'll come too," KaiserGreymon said. "I want to check on PileVolcamon and AncientKazemon."

AtlurKabuterimon sighed dreamily. "Yeah... AncientKazemon..."

KaiserGreymon and AncientMermaidmon rolled their eyes. "Right. Well. Let's go. Lead the way, Atlur," the leader of the Warrior Ten said.

AtlurKabuterimon smiled and nodded, walking out of the war room. KaiserGreymon adjusted the goggles on his head and followed him.

"Bye, Dynie," AncientMermaidmon chimed, waving at the winged dragon man. "Get nice and sweaty, okay?"

Dynasmon grinned and winked at her. "Oh, I'll try my best, Mer."

"No, he won't," Duftmon told her shortly, proceeding to usher Dynasmon out of the room after the Warriors of Flame and Thunder. The leopard knight sighed. "Is it really necessary to bring those two?" he said, looking ahead at their two guides.

"Yeah, it is," Dynasmon responded with a contentious smirk. "They happen to be my friends, and they know their way around the northern half of the continent a lot better than we do."

"They'll get in the way," Duftmon replied.

Dynasmon snorted. "You know, I can't tell if this is you being arrogant, anti-social, or both."

Duftmon responded only with a 'hmph'. After a few moments of tense silence, he spoke, "Fine. Have it your own way."

Dynasmon nodded and sped up his walking pace so he could talk with his friends. Duftmon quietly watched them from behind. As they left the Warrior Ten's keep and made their way through the nearby forest, he kept the distance up between them and himself.

* * *

><p>The four Digimon flew through the sky at a steady pace. The warm, mid-afternoon sun glared down in front of them.<p>

KaiserGreymon took the form of his aerial AncientGreymon form – a large, red-armoured dragon Digimon - which he didn't use around the headquarters, obviously due to its sheer size. He wore his pair of goggles, which grew in size along with him, over his blue eyes, helping to keep the intense sunlight and the wind resistance from affecting his vision.

The two Royal Knights and the two warriors flew over a rocky plain that was covered with dirt the colour of a dark, stony brown.

AtlurKabuterimon flew up beside AncientGreymon, his insect wings beating rhythmically and creating a low droning sound. "We're almost there," he explained to the Royal Knights trailing them. "You can see the pit far up ahead."

"It's pretty big," Dynasmon observed, cupping his hand over his brow to shield his eyes from the sunlight.

"Yup. It's about twenty meters deep, almost a kilometer in diameter, and it's kinda shaped like the inside of a big pot," AtlurKabuterimon informed them with a light grin.

"So, the edges are steep," Duftmon deduced.

"Yeah. Too steep to climb unless you're really good at it," the insect Digimon said. "Luckily we all have wings."

"How did PileVolcamon get down there?" Duftmon asked, remembering that those of his species didn't have wings.

"He's the Legendary Warrior of Earth; he used his earth abilities to make a rock staircase," AtlurKabuterimon replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah. You're supposed to be the genius, Duftmon," Dynasmon said with a laugh.

"Who asked you?" Duftmon countered sharply. He folded his arms and looked away.

"I'm just joking. Don't have a hissy fit," Dynasmon answered smugly.

AtlurKabuterimon laughed aloud. "Heh heh. 'Hissy'. Not bad, Dynasmon. You're the cat's meow," he added with a chuckle.

Dynasmon snickered as well. Duftmon, however, did not. "Feline jokes? How positively creative," the Royal Knights' strategist commented irately.

"I think you mean 'paws'itively creative," AtlurKabuterimon joked, laughing.

AncientGreymon rolled his eyes but smirked. "That's about enough, Atlur," he told him. He raised his front leg to push his goggles up to his forehead.

"Fine, but I've got about a billion more cat jokes," the Warrior of Thunder said.

"All of them as creative and clever as the last, no doubt," Duftmon murmured sarcastically.

"Oh, it's just a bit of fun, Duftmon. It's not like you don't insult people," Dynasmon pointed out. "At least we're doing it in good fun."

"This mission isn't supposed to be 'good fun'. We didn't come here so that you could joke around foolishly and reminisce with your... chums. You're almost as immature and unprofessional as UlforceVeedramon," Duftmon chastised. "We don't even need these two here. We would have been able to find this place well enough on our own. You just felt more at ease in their company, which is no surprise as all."

Dynasmon's usually relaxed expression turned into a fierce glower as soon as Duftmon started insulting his friends as well. "Yeah, sure, Duftmon," he answered, his voice becoming harsh and scathing. "If being constantly serious, condescending, vile, and having zero friends makes you 'professional', then, yeah, you're the best Royal Knight out of all eleven of us."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the four. Duftmon didn't reply and Dynasmon had nothing else to add. AncientGreymon glanced over at AtlurKabuterimon. AtlurKabuterimon started twiddling the fingers of his four hands with one another.

"Uh... heh heh. So. Nice weather, huh?" the Warrior of Lightning offered.

Duftmon finally turned to Dynasmon, ignoring AtlurKabuterimon's comment and speaking up. "I have no need for friends," he told him without any emotion in his voice. "I only put up with you all because it's an unfortunate necessity of my job. I'm the chief strategist of the Royal Knights, and my duties have nothing to do with making friends. Least of all with somebody like _you_."

With that, Duftmon flew down towards the craterous depression just ahead of them. Dynasmon glared at him as he broke away from the ground and descended.

"Yeesh. He should really stop smiling so much He might strain himself," AtlurKabuterimon said as the leopard knight flew down. "What's with him?"

Dynasmon grunted. "Duftmon's just so... Duftmon," he said with a slight growl. "He gets on my nerves sometimes."

"I hear you, mate," AncientGreymon said sympathetically, watching Duftmon go down. "He reminds me a lot of AncientGarurumon."

"Please," Dynasmon scoffed. "You'd be begging for AncientGarurumon after a month with Duftmon."

"I don't know..." the dragon rumbled. "It sounds like he's getting under your feet. It happens when Digimon spend too much time together."

"It's not just that," the violet dragon man replied. "I can stand the obsessive-compulsive control freak stuff. I can stand the condescension and the arrogance. But I can't stand when he insults people who I consider friends."

AtlurKabuterimon grinned and clutched where his heart was. "Awww... I'm getting warm fuzzies, aren't you, Kaiser?"

"Sure am," AncientGreymon said with a sly smirk.

Dynasmon rolled his eyes and managed a smile. "The thing is, I know why he's worse than usual today," he explained. "He can't stand the fact that I knew about the Dark Area and he didn't. It's a blow to his ego that someone like me knows more than a genius about some things."

"Sounds like he's more insecure than he lets on," AncientGreymon reasoned.

Dynasmon frowned. "I don't know. 'Insecure' isn't a word that I'd ever use to describe Duftmon..."

"Well. Anyways. We should make our descent now. We're there," the Warrior of Flame explained, flapping his broad, fiery wings and gliding downwards.

"Yeah. Before Duftmon starts scolding one of the pillars for not being straight enough," AtlurKabuterimon joked, descending as well.

Dynasmon followed their lead and swooped down.

Before him was an expansive pit, looking just as deep and wide as AtlurKabuterimon said it was. It was, as he said, the shape of the interior of a pot. Its edges were rocky, vertical cliffs which lead down into the crater. However, the most noticeable feature of the rocky depression were the hundred-odd stone pillars jutting up from the bottom of the pit. They stood between fifteen and twenty meters tall, a few meters wide, and they were dispersed all around the crater. What most interested Dynasmon was that they were naturally formed. The collection of rock columns formed almost a sort of stone labyrinth, or it would have if the pillars had been closer together. As it was, there were about five meters between each column; enough space for Dynasmon to fly down, but not enough space for AncientGreymon to descend in his current form.

"Looks like I'll have to take the stairs," AncientGreymon said, becoming engulfed in light as he turned back to his KaiserGreymon form. He landed at the edge of the crater, in front of a set of finely carved stone steps that PileVolcamon had created using his manipulation of the rocky ground, leading down into the crater.

Dynasmon and AtlurKabuterimon landed beside Duftmon, who was waiting at the bottom of the staircase. KaiserGreymon walked down the steps and met with them. Once at the bottom of the depression, he looked around.

"I don't see them," he observed.

"Well, the rift's at the middle of the crater. We won't be able to see past all these pillars," AtlurKabuterimon responded to him.

"Well then, let's get moving," Duftmon replied impatiently, walking towards the aggregation of stone.

AtlurKabuterimon grinned and looked over at KaiserGreymon. "He's even more impatient than you," he teased.

KaiserGreymon rolled his eyes, reached over to grip the stalk of the bug's horn, and started pulling the Warrior of Thunder towards the collection of pillars.

"H-Hey! Easy on the horn, Kaiser!" AtlurKabuterimon complained as he was pulled into the forest-like aggregation of rocks.

Dynasmon looked over at Duftmon and then followed them. Duftmon walked forwards too, although not saying anything to Dynasmon.

The Digimon made their way around the pillars, all the while looking around for AncientKazemon and PileVolcamon. A soft wind blew down the hole, and it briefly made AtlurKabuterimon think that it was the Warrior of Wind's doing, but they still didn't see them.

"PileVolcamon!" KaiserGreymon shouted out, announcing himself.

"Kaaaze!" AtlurKabuterimon called out as well, looking for AncientKazemon eagerly.

"Is your shell nice and shiny for her?" Dynasmon teased.

"My shell is always nice and shiny," he responded, sticking his tongue out although ignoring Dynasmon's intended teasing.

"PileVolcamon! AncientKazemon!" KaiserGreymon continued calling. "Call out if you can hear me! It's KaiserGreymon!"

"Where are they?" AtlurKabuterimon asked.

"Maybe they went to that nearby town for food," Dynasmon suggested, looking around and seeing no trace of either Digimon either. "Rockford, was it?"

"They wouldn't have both gone and left the rift unattended," KaiserGreymon replied.

"I do not like this," Duftmon proclaimed, frowning with suspicion.

"Wait, I see a clearing up ahead," KaiserGreymon announced, speeding up. "That's where the rift is, right?"

"Yeah. The rift was in the clearing near the center of the pit," he replied, jogging after KaiserGreymon.

KaiserGreymon walked around a couple stone pillars and stopped abruptly at the edge of the clearing. The dragon man's blue eyes widened.

"Shit! PileVolcamon! AncientKazemon!" he shouted, suddenly breaking into a sprint.

AtlurKabuterimon grew worried and ran after him, followed by Dynasmon and Duftmon. He darted into the clearing and stopped. The lithe, humanoid body of AncientKazemon was lying on her side in the middle of the clearing, unconscious. There were large, brown, swelling bruises on her skin.

PileVolcamon was at the left edge of the clearing, in a similar state. He sat upright with his back against one of the stone pillars, blood dripping from his face and his muscular, armoured body bruised and dented in various places. He was barely holding onto consciousness.

"AncientKazemon!" AtlurKabuterimon shouted in worry, rushing over to her side. He dropped to his knees beside her and checked her vital signs. "I-I think she's just unconscious," he said with only mild relief in his otherwise anxious and upset voice. As he did this, KaiserGreymon rushed over to PileVolcamon's side. "Kaiser! How is he?!"

"Beaten up," KaiserGreymon replied shortly, getting down beside the black-armoured figure. "PileVolcamon! It's me! Kaiser! Are you alright? What the bloody hell happened?!"

PileVolcamon released a groggy, pained groan. He slowly turned his yellow eyes up towards the dragon man. "I don't... know..." he responded breathily, the pain obvious in his weary voice. "The... rift... More data... Something came... It happened so fast. Couldn't... react fast enough..."

As he spoke, PileVolcamon grimaced with pain. KaiserGreymon put his hand gently on his shoulder. "Don't strain yourself, mate," he told the Warrior of Earth. "Something happened with the rift?"

"The rift..." Duftmon suddenly said, looking around the clearing.

Dynasmon raised his eyebrow at his comrade's words and looked around as well.

The leopard knight observed the scene with a scrutinizing set of eyes. The clearing had numerous stone spikes jutting out from the rocky ground, surrounded by dislodged dirt and rocks, along with some patches of mud here and there. It looked like PileVolcamon was able to get one attack in before he was taken down, but there was no real pattern to the earth manipulation and it extended to outside the clearing for a couple meters as well; it was as if he shot the spikes up randomly and at no specific target.

"They were ambushed," Duftmon deduced. "AncientKazemon was taken out first and PileVolcamon shortly after. It happened quickly."

"But how?!" KaiserGreymon asked sharply. "They're members of the Warrior Ten! They're not taken down so easily!"

"It was strong... and fast..." PileVolcamon told him weakly. "Couldn't see it. Only black..."

"Damn it," KaiserGreymon snarled. "I knew I had a bad feeling in my gut about something. Something felt off in the dragon veins of the Digital World."

"I suppose there is a certain proximate relation between leylines and the Dark Area, however..." Duftmon trailed off, folding his arms as he withdrew into thought.

Dynasmon frowned. "It must have been damn strong to take them both down. But what did this?"

"You're asking the wrong question, Dynasmon," Duftmon told him, glaring deeply at the middle of the clearing.

AtlurKabuterimon pulled AncientKazemon into his four arms, gently picking her up. He then started looking around the clearing frantically. "...Where's the rift?!" he asked.

"The rift?" Dynasmon asked, blinking and looking around.

"He said it was in this clearing," Duftmon replied, having noticed it wasn't there as well.

"It's gone!" AtlurKabuterimon exclaimed, getting to his feet and looking all around. "It was right here where I'm standing!"

PileVolcamon grimaced and put his large hand on KaiserGreymon's arm, squeezing tightly. "It came from the rift..." he told him in a pained, husky voice. "Rift disappeared... afterwards..."

KaiserGreymon's eyes widened. "It... what?" he asked.

Dynasmon froze and looked at Duftmon, who began glaring even harder than before. "Something... came from inside the rift?" Duftmon asked.

"Something escaped from the Dark Area," Dynasmon answered, sneering with worry.

"You have got to be joking..." KaiserGreymon said, putting PileVolcamon's arm around his neck and lugging the heavy warrior to his feet.

"That would explain why it was powerful enough to do this to your friends," Duftmon responded, drawing his rapier, the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi. "The rift must have closed up again as soon as the prisoner was free."

Dynasmon stretched out his claws, and wisps of white energy began to dance on his back, ready to summon Wyvern for his Breath of Wyvern attack if necessary. "KaiserGreymon!" he called out to his friend. "You and Atlur take PileVolcamon and AncientKazemon back to your base! Duftmon and I will look around here!"

KaiserGreymon frowned, looking at PileVolcamon's beaten form and then back at Dynasmon uncertainly. "Are you sure? If the prisoner did this to them..."

"You need to look after your friends," Dynasmon told him with steely determination. "We'll be fine. We'll retreat back to your base if we need to. Gather as many of the Ten of you can. We're facing a terrible power here."

KaiserGreymon paused for a few moments, but soon nodded. "Fine... but if you get hurt, I'm going to kill you, Dynasmon."

Dynasmon allowed for a small smirk. "Are you saying I'm reckless? I think that's the pot call the kettle black, Kaiser."

KaiserGreymon grinned a bit, but soon turned to AtlurKabuterimon. "We'll carry these two to the top of the stairs and then get them on my back so I can fly us home."

AtlurKabuterimon nodded, still looking at AncientKazemon with worry. "Let's get outta here. Good luck, guys."

Dynasmon nodded as the two started helping their friends through the crater, back the way they came. As soon as they disappeared behind the rock columns, the dragon man's face became serious again.

"This is not good," he spoke in a growl, his red eyes flashing with nervous anger. "Alphamon needs to hear about this. The world isn't safe..."


	18. Chapter 12 Part 2: Like Night and Day

(Author's Note: Wow, that two-parter was a lot longer than I meant for it to be. Here's the second half.)

**Chapter 12: Like Night and Day (Part II)**

A few hours later, Duftmon and Dynasmon returned to the Warrior Ten's headquarters. Their search around the area proved fruitless, and night was approaching, which would make their job even more difficult. They saw nothing apart from a few footprints, but the trail disappeared quickly thanks to the rocky terrain. The two Royal Knights decided to go back to their allies as evening set in, hoping to get a grasp of the situation.

Dynasmon and Duftmon stood with the Warrior Ten in their communications room, located in the underground level of their base. With them were four members of the Warrior Ten: KaiserGreymon, Shurimon, AtlurKabuterimon, and Wisemon. AncientMermaidmon was away, in the process of healing AncientKazemon and PileVolcamon's injuries using her MarineAngemon form. Anubismon and AncientGarurumon were still out, inspecting the dark rift in Dusk Forest, and Korikakumon was on his way back from errands.

"So, you two came up with nothing?" KaiserGreymon asked.

"Unfortunately," Dynasmon replied, sighing and leaning against the wall. "We searched for a few hours and then it started to get dark. Even Duftmon's leopard eyes wouldn't have been much help; there just wasn't a trail to go off of."

"You passed by Rockford and Auguria on the way back, right?" AtlurKabuterimon asked.

"Yeah. They were as normal as ever," Dynasmon responded.

"So, I guess it wasn't one of the super-destructive Digimon that escaped the Dark Area, or we would've heard about it by now," the Warrior of Thunder deduced.

"Excellent ratiocination, AddledKabuterimon!" Wisemon announced. The robed, humanoid Digimon placing his hands on his hips and his bright, enthusiastic yellow eyes twinkled behind his shadowed visage. "If a brainless, barbarous, cataclysmic creature had escaped his prison, we surely would have heard the sounds of destruction by now!" he said gleefully.

"...Ratio-what?" Dynasmon asked, looking over at Duftmon.

"Logic," he responded shortly.

"Yes, what Daftmon has said!" the old, yet energetic Wisemon jovially said, once again forgetting one of their names.

"Duftmon," the brown-armoured Royal Knight corrected in annoyance. He turned to Shurimon, who was sitting in front of the computer. "Shurimon, have you gotten through to our headquarters yet?"

"I'm afraid not. There d-d-doesn't seem to be anybody answering the communication I sent," he replied sheepishly, glancing up at the opened Spyke program.

"We can't just sit around here and do nothing," KaiserGreymon said restlessly.

Dynasmon frowned. "I agree, but we have no idea how to find whatever escaped from the rift."

Duftmon nodded. "At least if it were a Digimon causing a spree of destruction we would know where to find it."

KaiserGreymon gave him a look. "Don't say that," he told him.

"There's also the fact that we need to tell the other Royal Knights about this," Dynasmon explained frowning with frustration. "And what about that dark rift in Dusk Forest? Did something come out of there too? Is it even still there?"

KaiserGreymon gritted his teeth with concern. "AncientGarurumon and Anubismon are there..." he said, using anger to cover his worry.

"It's possible that it remained the same or that it simply closed at the same time as the other rift," Duftmon suggested. "We ought to go back to our headquarters and perhaps check on the way."

"And forget about that Digimon?" Dynasmon asked, staring over at Duftmon incredulously.

"For the time being," Duftmon replied coolly. "Like you said, we have no idea where it is or where it is going."

Wisemon raised his hand to stroke his chin. "If only there were a way to track that fiend..." he mused. After a few moments, his face lit up. "Eureka! Sherbetmon!"

Shurimon stood up and turned around, an idea forming in his mind as well. "We could use the DADAR system!" he explained.

"Exactly!" the Warrior of Steel chimed.

"The thing that detects abnormal data readings?" Dynasmon asked.

Shurimon nodded. "After nearly overlooking the rift in Dusk Forest, MetallifeKuwagamon has updated the system to be more sensitive to influxes of data," he explained. "Even though the rift is closed, the Digimon who escaped from the Dark Area should still have vestiges of dark data. Therefore, we should still be able to see where he is. Um, in theory, at least..."

"Then let's check," Duftmon said, walking out of the communications room and walking up the hall to the room on the very left of them.

They followed him into a room that had a giant computer system inside of it, much like the computer room at the Royal Knights' headquarters. It was connected to the computer that was in the communications room, powering it, but the two had different functions.

Shurimon walked in and turned on the computer, going to work at bringing up the DADAR system. Soon, a complicated map of the continent full of coordinates and codes popped up on the large screen. Shurimon pressed several buttons to receive a more specific view of the Data Detection and Ranging system. After about a minute, they were able to see a highlighted wisp on the screen.

"Is that it?" Dynasmon asked, moving in to get a closer look.

"I believe so," Shurimon replied. "It's moving..."

"It's moving south," AtlurKabuterimon observed.

"South... Towards our half of the continent," Dynasmon observed. "Good. Duftmon and I can follow it on our way home."

"It has a several hour lead on us," Duftmon explained sceptically. "And we won't be able to track it with the DADAR once we leave here."

"I know that," Dynasmon replied sharply. "But this is its first time out of the Dark Area for who knows how many years? It won't have its bearings. I'm not saying we need to hunt it down on our own, but if we happen to come across it on our way back to the headquarters..."

"Very well," Duftmon responded although with his usual tone of indignation.

"You two be careful," KaiserGreymon said. "We'll be vigilant up here. Just call if you need any assistance in taking him down or anything else."

"Thanks, Kaiser," Dynasmon said, reaching over and shaking his hand. "I appreciate it."

KaiserGreymon grinned and returned the handshake. "Kick some ass, mate."

Dynasmon smirked and let go. "This is me you're talking to." He turned to Duftmon. "Are you ready to head home? It's a long flight."

Duftmon gave a short, affirming nod. "I'm ready to go."

Dynasmon scratched the back of his head. "Well, okay, but I'm going to take a piss before we leave."

The leopard knight stared at him with annoyed exasperation. "That is entirely too much information."

KaiserGreymon and AtlurKabuterimon chuckled. "Down the hall, Dynasmon."

"Thanks..." he said sheepishly.

He walked out of the room and began to wander down the hall. "_I guess now it would be inappropriate for me to flirt with AncientMermaidmon before I leave,"_ he thought to himself. He wasn't really in the mood for flirting anyways with the dark cloud that was hanging over everybody with the realisation that a prisoner of the Dark Area has escaped. "_Hopefully when this situation clears up again..._"

* * *

><p>Dynasmon and Duftmon flew through the air, under the cover of nightfall. The stars twinkled in the dark sky, and the black void sported two full moons.<p>

The two Royal Knights had been very quiet during their return flight, barely speaking at all to each other. It was a lot different from their journey up, where there were frequent arguments and debates. Now there was just silence... although it was up for debate whether it was due to ill-feelings or due to their discovery of the rift. They had been flying for four and a half hours, and they were now back in the Free Area.

"Double full moons," Dynasmon mused, breaking the silence. He was looking up at the sky. "Some Digimon say that it's bad luck..."

"If you believe that nonsense..." Duftmon replied dismissively.

Dynasmon glanced at him with annoyance. "I don't, actually... but you don't have to be so haughty all the time. You're not doing yourself any favours by looking down your nose at everyone," he told him.

"Even if they deserve it?" Duftmon asked, leering back at him.

"Even if they're dumber than you," Dynasmon answered. "Besides, a Digimon's worth isn't defined by their intelligence."

"Then what do you believe they're defined by?" Duftmon queried.

Dynasmon frowned. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know that you can't just judge a Digimon based on one aspect alone, like intelligence or appearance or power. There's all sorts of things that make a Digimon who he or she is. Sleipmon's more than just a horse, Examon's more than just a dragon, Rhodo's more than just gay, Dukemon's more than just the holder of the Digital Hazard, and I'm more than just a dumbass who has trouble getting up in the mornings."

"Are you?" Duftmon dryly quipped.

Dynasmon rolled his eyes. "For a genius, you're sure damn close-minded..." he muttered.

"Humph," the tactician merely hummed in indignation.

With that scoff, a silence overtook them again, and they were once again graced by the sounds of the brisk night breeze and the sounds of their beating wings.

The stiff quietness continued for several minutes. Dynasmon dwelled on his thoughts, and eventually felt the need to voice them. "Did you really mean what you said?" he asked with a serious voice.

Duftmon looked over. "I am not telepathic. You're going to have to specify what you mean, Dynasmon," he explained, looking over despite a few strands of his blonde hair blowing in his face.

"That you don't need friends," he explained. "And that you don't even view us fellow Royal Knights as friends."

Duftmon paused. "If I'm to be honest... yes. I did mean what I said," he replied, having never been one to lie.

Dynasmon clenched his fists a bit, trying not to feel offended. "That's... sad," he told his fellow Royal Knight in a voice traced with pity.

The leopard knight looked over at him with a scrutinizing gaze. "...Why is it sad?" he asked with an honest obliviousness in his tone and eyes. He frowned with peevish vexation. "Are you... pitying me?"

The dragon knight opened his mouth to say that he wasn't, but upon thinking about, he stopped. "I guess I am..." he admitted. "The fact that you don't consider anybody a friend..."

Duftmon's green eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Dynasmon. "...You see, Dynasmon?" he asked, even then, a shade of smugness was mixed in with his dulled, tempered outrage. "You're a hypocrite. You're judging me – looking down on me – because of the amount of 'friends' that I have. You believe that a Digimon's worth is measured in the amount of friends that they have. How is that any different from my judgments?"

Dynasmon sneered. "I never said that," he protested. "I just think it's sad."

"As I think it's sad when the name of the Royal Knights – this continent's prime and exalted deterrent force – is sullied when a six-legged horse or an oversized dragon joins our ranks," he explained.

A growl escaped Dynasmon's mouth. "That's not the same at all!"

"Why is it not?" Duftmon asked.

Dynasmon snarled with frustration as he tried and failed to think of a counter argument. "It... It just isn't! I can't explain it; I don't have the logic and argument skills that you have, Duftmon, but that doesn't make me wrong and you right either!"

"If you say so," Duftmon responded coolly.

The dragon's angry red eyes remain firmly planted on Duftmon's figure, even as the leopard knight turned away. "If we're not your friends, and you apparently can't stand the sight of us, then why are you even part of the Royal Knights, Duftmon?" he asked him. "Why not just quit?"

"Do you want me to quit?" Duftmon asked him inquisitively, looking back over.

"No, I'm just asking," Dynasmon replied, although part of him wasn't sure why he didn't just say 'yes'.

Duftmon folded his arms, thinking for a few moments about his response. "I want to be a part of the Royal Knights. It's a prestigious order which protects the Digital World using the principles of intervention and deterrence theory. It allows me to actually put into action all of my studies from the esteemed Xuanwumon University instead of simply debating it with mentors and alumni."

Dynasmon eyed him carefully. "So, which is it? Being in a prestigious order? Protecting the Digital World? Or your intellectual pursuits?" he asked.

"All of them, I suppose," he responded, somewhat defensively. "I know that the common consensus among you all is that I am selfish, but I do happen to care about protecting the Digital World."

"I never said you didn't," Dynasmon answered. "But it seems strange that you'd stick around if we're all so... – I don't know – bothersome. You never socialize with us outside of missions."

"On a social level, no, I don't. I prefer reading a good book than partaking in frivolous group activities. However, I hold you all on a strictly professional level. I do admit that most of you have your uses," the lithe knight explained. "You are Royal Knights, after all."

"Our uses? It's like you view us as tools," Dynasmon said, raising an eyebrow.

"Royal Knights are here to do a job, aren't we?" Duftmon told him. "We're not Royal Knights to be part of a social club; we're here to provide order and stability to the Digital World, and do what it takes to stamp out evil."

Dynasmon slowly narrowed his red eyes with a slight grimace. "Somebody else once said that too..." he spoke in a near mutter.

"Pardon?" Duftmon asked him.

"Nothing..." he told him.

"Well, like I said, I'm a tactician. It is my job to see that all of the pieces move in a precise, orderly way to ensure our success on the battlefield," the leopard knight said.

"Pieces? We're not pawns for you to play with like back at your university, Duftmon," Dynasmon challenged harshly.

"I'm simply doing my job, Dynasmon," Duftmon countered. "I'm pragmatic. We all have roles to play in every operation. Our roles are dangerous ones, but we volunteered for the job. All of us did."

"I hate when people say 'pragmatic' like it's something to be proud of. It's just an excuse to do amoral things when it comes down to it," Dynasmon retorted, leering at him. "And I know it's dangerous; that's exactly why you can't just view us as chess pieces. That's why holding us at a professional level is dangerous. You may not view the others as friends, but I do, and I don't want them getting hurt."

"In my opinion, Dynasmon, you're much too fixated on the concept of friendship," Duftmon told him with a stoic gaze.

Dynasmon arched an eyebrow. "I am?" he asked.

"Yes," the tactician responded. "You're extremely loyal to them. To a fault. I've seen you do foolish, reckless things to protect your friends, even risking your own life to do so. You also lash out at those who mistreat your friends, even when you shouldn't step in at all."

"You'd think that would be a good thing," Dynasmon countered, frowning again.

"You burden yourself," Duftmon explained. "You're burdened a lot more than I am. What happens if one of the Royal Knights or one of the Warrior Ten dies in the line of duty? It's entirely possible, given how dangerous our jobs are. It would impact you severely. You could fall into a deep depression, whereas I—"

"Wouldn't care?" Dynasmon finished for him, glaring. "So caring is a flaw?"

"To me, yes. To you, obviously not. To you, pragmatism is a flaw. To me, it isn't," Duftmon explained. "I think you're wrong, but you're obviously of a different opinion. I doubt anything I can do could change that. So, just don't let it get in the way of my tactics, understood?"

Dynasmon scoffed. "Just as long as you don't get sour at being out of the loop," he retorted, taking a jab at what he suspected was Duftmon's reason for his mood recently. "All you had to do was ask me about the Dark Area."

Duftmon narrowed his eyes and sped up his flight, ignoring Dynasmon.

Dynasmon took satisfaction in knowing that he was able to get under his comrade's skin.

However, his grin vanished when he looked into the distance. Far off, in the shadowy distance, he could see a faint orange glow lighting up the night. "Hey, Duftmon. What is that?" he asked, quickly forgetting that he was angry at him.

"I'm not sure," Duftmon answered. He squinted his eyes and gazed into the distance, trying to make out the eerie glow within the darkness. "Could it be... fire?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like," Dynasmon said with a serious expression. He turned to Duftmon. "Let's go."

He beat his large, purple wings powerfully and flew towards the fiery glow at a faster speed.

Duftmon nodded and started to fly closer to the ground. His body became encased with light. "Mode Change! Duftmon: Leopard Mode!" he announced.

From the flash of light burst a brown-armoured leopard, dashing across the grasslands on four strong legs. His blonde mane soared behind him as he took on impressive speeds. He flapped the two large, white, feathery wings on the hips of his hind legs which propelled him back into the air at a velocity that surpassed Dynasmon.

"Don't rush in, Dynasmon," Duftmon: Leopard Mode told him as he passed the dragon. "I'm going ahead to survey the situation. I'll have a plan ready by the time you get there."

"Fine," Dynasmon begrudgingly agreed. He was still peeved with the leopard Digimon, but he knew it would be stupid and petty not to listen to his tactics. He didn't always approve of Duftmon, but he knew that his tactics were some of the best.

Dynasmon watched as Duftmon: Leopard Mode rushed ahead of him. As he disappeared into the darkness, Dynasmon couldn't help but mutter to himself with a chuckle, "I still don't know how you looked down at Sleipmon for being a beast Digimon when you have your Leopard Mode stashed away." The dragon's expression soon grew serious again. "I just hope that it isn't that escaped prisoner that caused that fire..."

Duftmon: Leopard Mode flew swiftly through the air. As he soared across the night sky, he carefully scanned the area with his keen, red, feline eyes. He saw nothing out of the ordinary apart from the fire ahead of him.

As he drew closer, he could see that the fire wasn't isolated; a quarter of a town was ablaze. Duftmon hissed a bit and swooped down the top of a small, grassy hill, landing on his four paws. He had to squint at the bright flames as he inspected the burning village. Even though the town was still about fifty meters away, he could still smell the pungent aroma of smoke and feel the heat of the flames warming him underneath his fur.

Amidst the villagers' shouts and screams of terror, he could hear loud, aggressive, raucous voices behind the flames.

"_Raiders_..." he thought to himself, sneering.

He scanned the town and its surrounding terrain, thinking carefully about what to do. Due to the flames and the buildings blocking his vision, he was unable to see the raiders, or the villagers, for that matter. "_I'll need an aerial view to understand the situation,_" Duftmon thought to himself. "_They won't be able to spot me against the night sky with the intensity of the flames on the ground._"

Duftmon bounded from the crest of the hill with feline grace, and flapped his wings to fly higher into the sky. He glided over the scorching town, surveying it with a scrutinizing gaze. He ignored the stinging sensation in his eyes as he flew through a pillar of smoke, focusing intensely on what was below. From what he could see, the fire was primarily around the east edge of the town. That's where the small bandit force was. There were nine, from what he could tell. Duftmon could see them pillaging the town and destroying buildings in search of loot. As a result, the civilian Digimon were all fleeing to the west. He looked behind him. He knew that Dynasmon would be coming from the north any minute now, so he decided to circle around and head back to the hill.

The leopard flapped his wings and flew back. He could see Dynasmon by the fiery reflection in his white armour as he closed in on him. Dynasmon flew down and landed beside the feline.

"The town..." Dynasmon said concernedly, looking past Duftmon as the blaze. "What did you find out?"

"It's a raid by bandits," Duftmon explained. He turned around and pointed with his paw to the left. "The raiders are over there on the east end of the village. The civilians are heading west in retreat."

"So, I guess it doesn't have anything to do with our fugitive?" the dragon asked.

"I highly doubt it," Duftmon told him. "It seems implausible that the first thing he would do upon coming out is convince a bunch of bandits to attack a strategically insignificant town."

"Yeah..." Dynasmon said. "Do you have a plan?" He looked at the feline Digimon, his body language indicating that he was ready to go into action.

"Yes. I'm going to use Wolkenkratzer to seal off their exit from the east. I'll then jump down to deal with them. Naturally, they will head westward to retreat or use the civilians as hostages. That's why I want you to move in from the west side of the village. You can cover the villagers and advance eastward to cut off the raiders' retreat. We'll surround them," Duftmon explained, detailing his tactics to him. "You can use Breath of Wyvern to finish them off and suffocate the fires."

"Okay," Dynasmon agreed.

"And don't take too long," Duftmon said. "There are about nine of them. I may be stronger than them, but when there's nine Digimon of any level swarming you alone, it's hard to think properly and react efficiently."

"I got it," the dragon man said. "Just say when to start."

Duftmon turned around and gazed at the burning village. "Three. Two. One. Commence the attack."

Dynasmon and Duftmon: Leopard Mode were off in a flash. Duftmon raced to the left, dashing down the hill, while Dynasmon started circling around the right end of the village by air.

Duftmon reached the edge of town as the soft breeze blew smoke and glowing cinders in his path. He pounced into the air. "Wolkenkratzer!" he called out confidently.

The ground began to tremble and tremor, enough to cause one of the burning buildings to collapse in a burst of embers. The bandits and town Digimon alike looked around with surprise and fear. Suddenly, a tower of stone exploded from the ground, much like the ones from the crater they visited earlier, except this one was created by Duftmon. It rose ten feet into the air before another rock column just beside it burst from the ground and rose up even higher.

The process continued; Duftmon continued creating a rock staircase, high into the air. The stone pillars were rough, jagged, and thick. They burst from the ground and rose up vertically, going as high as nine meters. Bits of grass, earth, and rock fell from the columns as they shot up from below. The towers of bedrock were locked close together so that not even skinny humanoid Digimon could pass by them. They formed a full semi circle around the eastern edge of the town.

Duftmon stopped at the middle of the semicircular wall, at its highest point, and gazed down. The bandits turned around with shock, trying to see where the huge wall suddenly came from.

The large, green, reptilian body of a Tuskmon turned around. "What the hell is going on?!" he demanded, craning his head to look up at the wall that suddenly appeared behind he and his raiders.

"Who's up there?!" another of the raiders asked, trying to see past the bright flames to identify the shadowy figure at the top of the barrier.

"I am Duftmon of the Royal Knights!" he announced, glaring down at them with shining feline eyes. "It is my duty to punish you for breaching our laws and attacking innocent Digimon." He turned fully on the rocky column to face them, digging his crimson claws into the rock. "Now you shall suffer the consequences."

Duftmon: Leopard Mode leapt off of the pillar and descended on them, hurdling through the smoke. "Blockade!"

A Fangmon bandit's eyes widened as Duftmon lunged upon them at high velocity. "It's a Royal Knigh-YAHH!" he screamed in pain as Duftmon ran by him, ripping across his wolf-like form with the jagged, blue spikes that protruded from his neck and forelegs.

Duftmon continued past the raider as he burst into data, speeding down the orange-hued, stone street to put himself between most of the bandits and the rest of the village and its villagers. "Eroberung!" he announced. He skidded to a stop, turning around mid-slide, and lashed his tail out. The yellow, spherical tip of his tail glowed and released several gleaming globes of swirling, compressed energy. The spheres flowed out across the street behind him, putting another set of obstacles between the bandits and their way out.

Tuskmon quickly turned around to face him in a lumbering fashion. He gritted his teeth with anxiety, and looked over his horned shoulder at the wall behind them. He knew that they were trapped and they would have to get past Duftmon to escape. He didn't fancy their chances in battle with him, but they didn't have a choice.

"They're the ones that took down that BanchoLeomon!" one of the raiders announced in fear.

"Attack!" the Tuskmon leader yelled. "There's only one of him! Pin that kitty down and he'll be helpless before us! Everyone at once!"

To make a point of solidarity, he charged Duftmon first. He didn't want his fellow bandits trying to flee and leaving him the only one against Duftmon.

"Wait, what are those yellow things behind him?!" the pink, scythe-armed form of a Kyuukimon asked his boss, reluctantly rushing towards Duftmon as well.

"Here's a tip!" Tuskmon told him sarcastically. "Don't touch them!"

Duftmon watched as they began to charge him. "Fools," he muttered. The armoured leopard narrowed his eyes and bolted into action as the six bandits closed in on him.

* * *

><p>Dynasmon hovered over a busy street, coordinating the safe evacuation of the scared civilians.<p>

"This way! This way!" he told the hundred or so Digimon before him. "Get to safety this way in an orderly manner! Don't rush and be mindful of the Digimon around you. You're under the Royal Knights' protection."

"There are two bandits still behind us!" a Digimon yelled to him in worry.

Dynasmon flew forwards promptly getting behind the last of the civilians protectively. He looked down the street, towards the distant flames, and saw a Vamdemon and a MachGaogamon rushing towards him.

"With a Royal Knight here, it's every 'mon for themselves," the MachGaogamon told the other raider. "The others are on their own."

"I don't care," the Vamdemon replied. "Just as long as I can kill some Digimon before I'm taken down too."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that, guys," Dynasmon explained, dropping down in front of them and landing on the street.

"Crap! Another!" MachGaogamon exclaimed, wide eyed and skidding to a halt. His face scrunched with anger. "Howling Cannon!"

He opened his maw and let loose an ear piercing howl from his mouth. Hypersonic waves blasted towards Dynasmon, ripping up the street. Dynasmon sneered and was suddenly very wary of the villagers escaping behind him; if he moved to avoid the attack, they might be in danger.

Instead, he crossed his arms in front of him and took the blast. Despite being a Mega level in chrome digizoid armour, it still hurt. The sonic attack bombarded his eardrums and the shock wave itself pounded into him. It felt like flying into a brick wall. Dynasmon staggered backwards, grunting, but he managed to keep himself from falling.

Next, Vamdemon rushed forwards for an attack. "Bloody Stream!" he called out, summoning a long, crimson whip in his hand that he brought down towards Dynasmon.

Dynasmon raised his left arm to block the attack. The burning, crimson energy whip wrapped around Dynasmon's forearm a couple of times. The dragon knight sneered and held against the pulling. "You two are getting on my nerves," he told them.

With a mighty pull of his arm, he yanked Vamdemon towards him by the whip, strongly and sharply enough to pull him off his feet. Dynasmon wound back his arm and thrust his fist into the vampire's face, ending him flying back and extinguishing the whip around Dynasmon's arm.

Dynasmon then raised his hands and outstretched his palms, pointing the red lenses in his hands at the two raiders.

"Dragon Thrower!" he called out with a firm, clear voice. The gems in his palms glowed and suddenly exploded with energy. A stream of blazing energy ripped from his left hand and consumed the MachGaogamon, destroying him. At the same time, from his right hand pulsed a torrent of light, which pierced through the Vamdemon's body and burnt him to data from the inside out.

With the two bandits gone, Dynasmon was free to go down the long street to back up Duftmon. He started to flap his wings, but a voice called out from behind him.

"Dynasmon! Dynasmon! Please, help!" the frantic voice of a Snimon shouted out.

Dynasmon turned around questioningly. He saw the Snimon looking between the Royal Knight and a burning building with a look of terror on his face. He didn't seem to be harmed, but the dragon could tell that something was definitely wrong. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's my son! He's trapped inside the house! Please, help him!" he begged, pointing with one of his scythed arms to burning house he was facing.

The Royal Knight rushed over, pushing the Snimon away as the blaze suddenly came pouring out the window at him. "Are you sure?!" he demanded, looking at the fiery house.

"Positive! A stray attack hit the house and we got separated!" he told him desperately.

Dynasmon frowned with concern. He listened and could hear a young voice coughing from inside, confirming to him that there was someone inside. "_Duftmon can wait_,| he thought to himself. "_I need to save that little guy_."

With a powerful swipe he crushed the burning door with his fist and made his way inside. Fire coated the walls of the large house and the top half of the room was filled with smoke. Dynasmon trudged deeper into wide room and saw a terrified Kunemon hugging the ground tightly.

"D-Daddy?" the young Digimon asked in a trembling voice, looking over at the approaching figure, having trouble making out who it was.

"No, it's Dynasmon. I'm a Royal Knight," he reassured him. He reached out his large hand to him. "Your dad is safe outside. Do you want to come with me?"

The Kunemon looked uncertain. However, he heard the popping and crackling of fire, as well as the sound of wood beginning to break, and quickly jumped into Dynasmon's hand, hugging his thumb tightly.

Dynasmon smiled slightly and raced out of the house to where the Snimon was waiting anxiously. "Here he is," Dynasmon said to him, offering his hand out.

"Kunemon!" Snimon exclaimed with relief. He rushed over to Dynasmon.

"Daddy!" the Kunemon replied, leaping from Dynasmon's hand and onto the mantis' chest.

"Thank you so much, Dynas-!" the Snimon was cut off by the sound of the interior of the house collapsing in on itself, causing even more flames and smoke to flow into the air.

"You two need to get to safety. It's still dangerous here," Dynasmon told them.

"R-Right," the Snimon said, quickly flying off after the rest of the civilians.

Dynasmon eyed them for a few moments before he turned to the opposite direction. He frowned and flapped his wings mightily, flying into the air. "_Now to back up Duftmon. That didn't take too long, right_?"

* * *

><p>Duftmon: Leopard Mode was glaring furiously. "Where in the hell is that horn-brained moron?!" Duftmon internally demanded while nimbly but gracelessly ducking under a might swipe of the Tuskmon's claws.<p>

Without getting a chance to breathe, he then scampered away just in time to avoid being crushed by a Zudomon raider's descending Chrondigizoit hammer. The mallet collided with the stone street and erupted with sparks, narrowing missing his tail. Duftmon dashed forwards but suddenly bolted awkwardly to the left to avoid being grabbed by a MasterTyrannomon.

"Wolkenkratzer!" he shouted, raising a rocky pillar to separate himself from his opponents. He needed to get his bearings; acting purely on impulse in battle was something that Duftmon absolutely abhorred.

He panted slightly and looked around impatiently. "Where is he?" he whispered under his breath. "_Even with those two bandits who were closer to the west side of the village, it shouldn't take him this long_."

Duftmon circled around in a cat-like fashion to put more distance between himself and his foes. He had taken out three of the seven, but four still remained, and they weren't giving him a chance to breathe. It angered him to admit that they weren't terrible tactics on the part of the bandits. He had underestimated their response; however, that part he didn't admit.

What angered Duftmon even more was the fact that they had gotten a hit in on him. There was a deep slash in his armour at the shoulder of his left foreleg. The Kyuukimon managed to get in a good hit right before Duftmon killed him. Duftmon shoulder's stung with pain, and he could feel the warm trickle of blood inside his armour. Although he didn't think that the cut was very deep, it did affect his agility.

"That idiot dragon," he hissed to himself.

No more than a second later, the Zudomon smashed through the pillar of rock with his giant hammer.

"Found you, kit-"

"Wolkenkratzer!" Duftmon spoke, summoning another pillar of rock in the place of the one that was just destroyer. The thick, stone column shot upwards and slugged the Zudomon in the chin, also shattering his long tusks in the process. He cried out in agony and clutched his face, staggering backwards and dropping his hammer.

Duftmon then charged him, pouncing on the Zudomon's chest and sending him stumbling into one of the glowing spheres he placed with his Eroberung attack. The globe, in fact, was a mine, which detonated as soon as the Zudomon made contact with it. The mine detonated in a blast of energy which shattered the Zudomon's shell and tore through his form until only scattered data remained.

"Damnit! Get him!" Tuskmon ordered the MasterTyrannomon and WereGarurumon bandits.

The two bandits began to charge forwards, but they stopped in their tracks when a strong voice entered their ears.

"You might want to reconsider that!"

The three bandits turned around. Duftmon looked as well, although scowling that he had the nerve to show up like that when he was late.

Dynasmon flew down the street, smirking at the bandits. "The cavalry is here! Dragon Thrower!"

He aimed his palms at the three bandits and power pulsed out from within them. The attack flew in a double helix spiral towards the three and blasted into the ground before them in a blast of energy, throwing all three of them off of their feet.

"Duftmon!" he called out.

Duftmon complied, darting down the street and getting behind Dynasmon, who stopped and landed on the ground.

The pupils of Dynasmon's red eyes shrunk and his back became swathed in a fearsome white aura that lit up the dark, fiery street. "Breath of Wyvern!" he roared.

The white power that flickered and danced around Dynasmon's back suddenly grew into a massive, fearsome dragon that rose up from his body. The energy dragon had arms, legs, and wings. Wyvern snarled and looked around with his three, dark blue eyes. His gaze landed on the recovering bandits, who gazed up at the dragon with shock.

"Kill it!" Tuskmon demanded. "Bayonet Lancer!"

The energy javelins that burst from Tuskmon's horns sailed towards Wyvern and passed harmlessly through his body, which was made completely of Dynasmon's energy.

Wyvern roared savagely and descended on them on his own accord. The dragon tore through Duftmon's Eroberung mines, detonating them behind him, and sweeping across the three remaining raiders. As he carried them through the air, he spread out his wings, which passed through the burning houses, destroying them and snuffing the flames with his own. Wyvern blasted through the bandits and continued through the rock blockade around the edge of town that Duftmon created. The bandits crashed through the rock and flew out into the grassy exterior, their data breaking apart before they could hit the ground.

The rocky pillars crashed down noisily, creating a cloud of dirt and dust. The bandits were gone, and the flames were extinguished. When the dirt cleared, Wyvern turned around and looked at Dynasmon, giving him a thumbs up with his fiery claws. Dynasmon grinned and nodded, and Wyvern disappeared in a large wisp of white energy that travelled back to Dynasmon's body once again.

"Well, that's done with," Dynasmon said aloud. He turned to Duftmon, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry I took a bit longer, I-"

"You thick dunderhead!" Duftmon shouted, walking up to him. "Where were you?!"

Dynasmon frowned, annoyed at his tone. "Look, I was saving a kid from a burning building. Plus, I had to get through two bandits. I wasn't _that_ late."

"Oh, really?!" Duftmon replied crossly. He turned to Dynasmon in a way that revealed the deep cut in his armour. Although it was dark, he could see that there was blood beneath the hacked armour thanks to the shimmer of the moonlight in the red liquid. "Late enough for me to get injured."

Dynasmon grimaced a bit, feeling somewhat bad. However, he wasn't going to let Duftmon place all of the blame on him. For all he knew, it was an error on Duftmon's part. "Maybe you should have been more aware of your surroundings," Dynasmon suggested, folding his arms in indignation.

"You're not seriously blaming me when you're in the wrong, are you?!" Duftmon asked, scowling.

"You're the one who's the first to blame everybody else," Dynasmon countered.

Duftmon glared at him with his cat like eyes. "Mode change!" he said crisply. Dynasmon: Leopard mode shifted back into his humanoid knight form. Upon taking the form, he winced and held his left shoulder with his hand, feeling the wound in this form as well. "I _told_ you not to take too long. I was against seven of them. With all of them attacking me at once, there's no wonder that they landed a fortunate hit on me. Fortunately for you, I was able to defend myself, so things were not as bad as they could have been."

"Look, I'm sorry I was late, but I had to rescue that kid," Dynasmon told him, glancing over at him. "I assumed you'd be fine for an extra minute or two."

"_You_ screwed up my tactics, and chaos was the result," the leopard knight said to him coldly. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be sporting this gash."

"It's just a cut, Duftmon," Dynasmon assured him in a mix of annoyance and exasperation.

Duftmon merely scowled and began walking down the street towards where the civilians were evacuating. Dynasmon rolled his eyes and followed him.

They could see several of the villagers already remerging once they saw that the fires were gone and the sounds of battle had died off.

The fox-like form of a Kyuubimon ran over to the two knights. "Thank you so much for saving our village," he said to them.

"Yes, of course," Duftmon said somewhat dismissively, still thoroughly annoyed with Dynasmon.

"It's no problem," Dynasmon replied. "You guys were lucky that we happened to be passing by."

"Extremely lucky," Kyuubimon responded, sighing with relief. He then looked past them at the destruction on the east side of town. "For the most part."

A female Allomon walked over to them as well. "If there's anything we can do for you, just tell us," she told the knights. She managed to spot the blood trickling from under Duftmon's shoulder around. "Can we get the doctor to fix up that wound, Sir Duftmon?"

Duftmon shook his head. "No need. It is just a flesh wound," he assured her.

"That's not what he was saying a minute ago," Dynasmon muttered under his breath.

"If you're sure..." she said uncertainly, although deferred to his will.

"It's just a shame everyone couldn't have been as charitable as you," the Kyuubimon said. "Maybe our village would have suffered less destruction."

"What do you mean?" Dynasmon asked, suddenly curious at his choice of words. "Are you referring to the bandits?"

"Well, no..." he replied. The fox Digimon once again looked past them, down the street to the eastern side of town. "Several minutes after the bandits started attacking us, I could see a figure travelling south down the path outside of town."

"A figure?" Duftmon asked, now curious as well.

Kyuubimon nodded, thinking back to earlier. "Yes. A strong looking Digimon. Humanoid. He - or I think it was a he – was walking along the path. At first I thought he was one of the bandits, but when I heard that it was Tuskmon's gang, I knew that it wasn't. I was going to call out for help, but I remember he stopped and looked towards the village. I thought he was going to come and help on his own accord, but then he just continued walking south, down the path," the Kyuubimon mused. "It was like he was dragging himself, actually. Maybe he was so tired he didn't feel like helping." The fox digimon shrugged dismissively.

Dynasmon and Duftmon both looked at each other.

The dragon knight spoke first. "Do you think it's...?"

"It could be who we're looking for," Duftmon conjectured.

"Pardon?" Kyuubimon asked.

"Nothing," Duftmon replied. "How long ago was this?"

"I don't know. An hour? Two? Everything's been so hectic..."

"Did you see what he looked like?" Dynasmon asked.

"Not really," Kyuubimon admitted. "It was dark. I just know that he was bipedal and had a humanoid silhouette. It was too brawny to be a female Digimon. Then again, I could be wrong..."

The blonde haired knight nodded. "I see. We'll be leaving now."

"Are you sure?" the Kyuubimon asked, seeming to be in a position of power in the village. "You both must be tired, and it's really late. You could stay at the inn on the west edge of town – for free, of course."

"No, but thank you," Dynasmon said to him. "We're on urgent business. We need to get back to our headquarters. We'll send up some of our soldiers to help your town with reconstruction in the morning."

"Thank you. I mean it," Kyuubimon replied.

Dynasmon nodded politely and started walking alongside Duftmon down the street, heading east, to the path that the Digimon Kyuubimon mentioned went south on. They walked out of the partially burnt and destroyed village, over the rocky remnants of the wall that Duftmon had made. There was still an air of tension between them, but they were united in their concern over the fugitive.

"Can you still fly with that cut?" Dynasmon asked, glancing at him

"Yes," was Duftmon's answer.

"Good. We still have a few hours to go. Maybe we'll be able to catch him," he said. "We should skip checking on Dusk Forest."

"I suppose," Duftmon said in a cold huff.

Dynasmon rolled his eyes and took to the night sky, leaving the village which still smelled of smoke and glowed with small cinders. He heard the flapping of Duftmon's wings behind him. He knew that the knight was furious at him. He assumed Duftmon would go into one of his moods and cold shoulder him. Dynasmon sighed and prepared himself for what would be a long, tense fly home.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, the Royal Knight had reached their territory. Even with the light of the dual full moons guiding their way, they were unable to find the fugitive on their return journey.<p>

They walked along the dirt road that lead to their castle. Upon reaching their territory, they had decided to go by foot to give their sore wings a rest. Ahead of them, they could see the Royal Knights' headquarters standing proudly against the backdrop of the large moon.

"It's good to be home," Dynasmon said aloud, hoping to break the silence that had pervaded for over two hours.

Duftmon didn't reply. He walked off of the road and strode over the grass to take a shortcut to the front gate of the castle.

Dynasmon followed him, trying not to let Duftmon's temperament get under his scales. "...How's the shoulder?" he asked.

"Painful," Duftmon answered matter-of-factly. He gave an aloof glance over his shoulder. "And we know whose fault it is, don't we?"

"I said I was sorry," Dynasmon muttered. "Can't you just accept apologies like a normal Digimon. Do you always have to sulk and go on and on about how you were right and they were wrong?"

"If you're going to insult me, this conversation is over," Duftmon told him.

Dynasmon groaned with frustration. "Why are we even fighting?" he asked.

"You know why."

Dynasmon shot him a glare. "I mean why are we squabbling over petty things? Did we both forget what Alphamon said to us earlier?" he asked, frowning in contemplation. "Shouldn't we be able to work together without getting into big arguments like we did throughout today?"

Duftmon was quiet for a few moments. He reflected on Dynasmon words carefully. "We are very different..." he reasoned.

"Examon and Craniamon managed to get past their differences, for the most part. I know that everybody argues sometimes, but we should be able to look past those differences, especially today of all days, when we know that a fugitive from the Dark Area has escaped," Dynasmon countered. "Alphamon's right. If we're supposed to be Royal Knights, then we need to act like Royal Knights. It's our job not to get distracted by petty differences."

"I know!" Duftmon conceded in annoyance, suddenly glaring at the grass in front of him. "It can't be helped sometimes, however..."

"I know," Dynasmon replied with a sigh. "But can we put aside out differences now?"

Duftmon grunted and folded his arms. "Very well..."

"Good..." the dragon man said. He glanced at Duftmon. "You know... I know you don't consider any of us your friends, and Yggdrasil knows that you get on my nerves sometimes..."

Duftmon glanced over at him with a flat gaze.

"But I do consider you one of my friends," Dynasmon told him.

The leopard knight blinked with surprise.

"...What?" Dynasmon asked, looking at him out of the corners of his eyes as he walked up beside him.

"I see..." Duftmon replied in an uncertain tone. He looked over at Dynasmon. "Am I supposed to respond with something similar as well?"

Dynasmon couldn't help but chuckle. "If you want to. Don't strain yourself though."

"On second thought, I think I will decline," Duftmon replied, suddenly speeding up and refusing to look at Dynasmon.

"Oh, good. I was getting worried there for a second," Dynasmon said with a laugh.

The two walked in silence, travelling near the tranquil moat surrounding the castle. Dynasmon looked up at the stone parapets as he walked. Duftmon concentrated on picking at some of the long-dried blood on his arm.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" a voice called out from the ramparts of the castle wall.

Dynasmon's eyes fixed on a Knightmon who was on night watch duty. "It's Dynasmon and Duftmon!" he called out, waving his arm.

"Alright," the Knightmon replied upon recognizing their figures and Dynasmon's voice. "Carry on to the front gate. I'll inform the gate-master."

Dynasmon nodded and headed to the front gate as directed, walking beside Duftmon. They continued along the edge of the deep moat.

"Dynasmon," Duftmon suddenly said.

"Huh?" The violet Royal Knight looked over.

"Why did _you_ join the Royal Knights when it was first founded," he asked inquisitively. He continued walking. "I told you my reasons."

Dynasmon smirked at him. "Do you really need to ask that?" he asked him.

Duftmon thought for a moment. "...No. I suppose I don't. You joined because you like to help people."

"Yeah. That's pretty much it," the dragon man replied as they approached the gate and waited for the chrome digizoid portcullis to be lifted.

Duftmon folded his arms. "You're not totally unsuitable for the position," he told him. Before Dynasmon could respond, he walked through the gate, as the portcullis was lifted.

Dynasmon stood there for a few moments and scratched his cheek, looking at Duftmon with surprise. "I can't tell... was that a compliment...?" He shrugged and walked inside the castle grounds as well. Now they had to report to Alphamon and the others what they had discovered...

* * *

><p>Dynasmon and Duftmon sat in their seats in the council room. An emergency meeting had been called when they reported that their findings were urgent. All eleven of the Royal Knights, plus OuRyuumon and Grani, were there as well.<p>

"This had better be urgent," RhodoKnightmon said tiredly. "I need my beauty sleep."

"It is..." Dynasmon explained, looking over at Alphamon.

Alphamon stared back at him with a strong, unreadable expression. "Tell us."

"Duftmon, KaiserGreymon, AtlurKabuterimon and I went to the rift up where they specified," Dynasmon explained, grimacing. "PileVolcamon and AncientKazemon were unconscious when we arrived. The rift was gone. PileVolcamon said that something escaped."

"What?!" Alphamon demanded, standing to his feet and glaring with clenched fists.

Omegamon's eyes widened, Dukemon glowered angrily, and Magnamon grimaced.

"He was heading south, towards our territory" Duftmon explained calmly. His wounded shoulder had been cleaned and bandaged by Duskmon. "We attempted to follow him, but we had no real trail to go on, except when we checked the DADAR at the Warrior Ten's headquarters."

"Him? Do you know who it is?"Alphamon asked, sitting back down after regaining his composure.

"No. He attacked too quickly for PileVolcamon and AncientKazemon to even see him," Dynasmon explained. A Kyuubimon from a village that we came across just said that he was male in build."

"A Kyuubimon? How do you even know it's the same guy then?" OuRyuumon challenged.

"I think it was the fugitive that he saw," Dynasmon said firmly. "Apparently the guy looked fatigued. Whoever escaped from the Dark Area would be pretty weak as well. He also looked strong, according to the Kyuubimon."

"What else did the Kyuubimon say?" Alphamon asked.

"He had a brawny, humanoid body," Dynasmon replied.

"That doesn't tell us much," Dukemon said. "Though all this does explain why our rift suddenly closed..."

"What?" Dynasmon looked over at the crimson knight. "The rift in Dusk Forest closed?"

Dukemon nodded. "While Anubismon and I were there. It closed right in front of us for no reason."

"Nothing came out?" Duftmon inquired.

"Not a thing," Dukemon answered. "I guess it was at the same time that the one the Ten were guarding closed."

"That would make sense..." Omegamon supposed.

"But why didn't the rifts just stay open?" Magnamon asked.

"I guess whoever opened them could only keep them open long enough for the fugitive to escape," UlforceVeedramon said. "It's probably good that that was the case or else we'd have a load of evil, powerful Digimon set free."

"Nothing about this is good," Alphamon said grimly. "We need to find this fugitive and fast."

"Why don't we use the DADAR system again?" Dynasmon asked.

"The excess data would have likely worn off by now," Grani replied.

"Then what do we do?" Examon questioned.

"...Rest," Omegamon proposed, looking around the table. "For now. It's very late and we'll be able to think more clearly after some sleep."

"Yes..." Alphamon concurred, although reluctantly. He stood to his feet and looked at Dynasmon and Duftmon. "Thank you for your effort, the both of you. You could use the sleep."

"I wouldn't say no to some rest," Dynasmon admitted, feeling very tired after a busy day. He didn't even want to shower, he was that tired.

"Then let's adjourn this meeting," Alphamon said to the knights. He began to head for the great hall but then he thought to stop and turned around. "By the way... I apologize for my impatience, earlier. This business with the rifts has been getting to me."

Dukemon grinned. "I'd say you're allowed to get angry every once in awhile, Alphamon. I'm sure we give you enough cause," he told him.

Alphamon offered him a short but fleeting smile and turned to exit into the great hall. OuRyuumon followed behind him. They turned into the right door on the near end of the great hall and went into the stone corridor.

"It's _still_ getting you to you, isn't it?" OuRyuumon asked him, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yes," Alphamon responded.

"And you're still worrying about Omegamon, aren't you?" the serpent dragon questioned.

"...Yes," the black knight admitted.

"You're the leader of the Royal Knights, right? Where's that calm demeanour you're famous for?" OuRyuumon demanded, folding his arms.

"I'm too tired for a pep talk, OuRyuumon. Just let me sleep, alright?" He looked over his shoulder at the dragon. "Please?"

OuRyuumon sighed. "Fine..." he reluctantly conceded.

Alphamon gave him a grateful look and headed towards the stairs so that he could go up to his room.

OuRyuumon watched as the Lord of the Empty Seat disappeared down the dark corridor. The drake thought to himself, heading down the hallway as well. "_I just hope it's not _him _you're worried about_..."


	19. Chapter 13: Beware the Black Night

**Chapter 13: Beware the Black Night**

A billiard stick struck a white cue ball firmly, sending it crashing into a black ball. The ebony sphere rolled across the felt surface of the pool table, ricocheted off the edge, and sunk into one of the corner pockets.

"Nice shot, Examon," Dukemon said to him, putting his hand on the dragon's spiked shoulder. "I was going to make that same shot if you scratched it."

Examon gave him a small, light grin. "Then it's good that I didn't scratch it."

UlforceVeedramon, Magnamon, and Craniamon stood in the recreation room as well. UlforceVeedramon was watching the pool game play out, while Magnamon and Craniamon were playing darts. They were dressed in their casual attire, indicating that they didn't have any duties to perform at the moment.

"Hah!" Craniamon announced triumphantly after throwing a dart. "I win."

UlforceVeedramon looked over his shoulder with a grin. "Are you sure Magnamon didn't just let you win so that you wouldn't go into a losing sulk?"

"I wish that was the case, Ulforce..." Magnamon assured him, going to collect the darts from the board and sighing a bit.

Craniamon looked at Magnamon. "Don't you start blaming that bruised arm. It's long healed by now," he told him, although with a hint of playfulness in his normally stern tone.

Examon put the pool stick away and leaned on the table. He looked over at the other Royal Knights. "So, Dukemon, Magnamon... What do the two of you make of what happened with the rifts?" he asked them.

"What about Ulforce and I?" Craniamon asked indignantly.

"Yeah, Ex-sama," UlforceVeedramon teased, placing his hands on his hips.

"No offence intended... They're part of the founding knights, so I assumed they know the most about what's going on," Examon sheepishly responded.

Dukemon grinned a bit. "Well... what's there to make? We know what happened."

"How did the fugitive escape? And who is he?" the red dragon asked.

"We can really only guess at this point," Magnamon said as he went to sit down on one of the couches.

"However, there aren't that many prisoners in the Dark Area, from what Alphamon said," Examon explained. "Couldn't we do a process of elimination from what we do know about the fugitive?"

"There's between thirteen to seventeen prisoners there. A strong, brawny, bipedal guy isn't really enough to go on. There's a few of those," Dukemon said, sitting down next to Magnamon.

Examon nodded. "Alphamon seems to be bothered by it," he remarked, noting their leader's change in behaviour recently.

"We all are, at least a little," Dukemon explained with a lowered brow. "I think Alphamon feels responsible to some degree, like he should have done something to stop it."

"What could he do?" Craniamon said with a dismissive shrug. "It doesn't seem like an easy thing to prevent."

"Is there anything we _can_ do?" UlforceVeedramon asked. "I feel weird about just sitting around like we have been for the past week."

"Not really," Dukemon admitted. "It's up to Grani and his Recon Squadron to keep searching." He managed a grin. "That oversized bird's been working hard these past several days."

"I can empathize, Ulforce," Craniamon said. "But Dukemon's right. It would be impractical for us to go wandering the Free Area in search of him. Leave that to the experts; we have other jobs to do."

"Not much recently," UlforceVeedramon pointed out, leaning over the back of the couch that Dukemon and Magnamon were on. "If a fugitive did escape, wouldn't he have done something by now?"

"Not if he was smart," Dukemon reasoned, scratching at his white shirt. "He'd be pretty weak and disoriented upon escaping, especially if he used a load of energy in opening those rifts. Also, since he came into contact with the Warrior Ten, he'd have probably gone into hiding until he regained some strength."

"I guess you have a point," Ulforce replied. "Still, it's weird seeing Alphamon so uptight. I can't remember the last time I've seen him nervous."

"That's why we should use this down time to keep his mind off it!" a voice declared.

The five Royal Knights turned their gazes towards the doorway, where the voice was coming from. They saw OuRyuumon standing in the door with a grin plastered on his draconic face. "Hey, guys," he greeted.

"OuRyuumon?" Magnamon asked. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Like setting him up on a date?" UlforceVeedramon asked, smirking at the idea.

OuRyuumon suddenly glared. "LIKE HELL!" he snapped at Ulforce fiercely. He then settled down and fingered at his collar with embarrassment. "I meant like- Well, look! The Spring Festival is nearby! I say we should all go there. It's not like we can do anything about the fugitive right now."

"The Spring Festival, huh?" Dukemon asked, looking up as if in thought.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," UlforceVeedramon remarked. "Hey, OuRyuumon had a good idea!"

"Funny," he muttered with an annoyed expression.

"The Spring Festival...?" Examon asked, looking at them curiously.

"Seriously, lizard? You don't know?" OuRyuumon asked, looking over at him. "Did you live in a cave or something? I thought they had the Spring Festival all over the continent, even in the UDC."

"No, they had it. I just never attended, so I'm not really sure what it's about," Examon responded, somewhat sheepishly.

"Big surprise," OuRyuumon said, rolling his eyes.

"There's games, competitions, contests, food, a whole lot of stuff," UlforceVeedramon explained. "Traditionally, it has to do with Qinglongmon, since the Spring is his season, but, these days, Digimon of other beliefs - or no beliefs, like OuRyuumon here - celebrate it too."

"Yeah. There was one going on, back when me, Alphamon, and Omegamon were visiting Auguria, but the one that takes place in the Free Area is on a much bigger scale," OuRyuumon added, smiling at the idea.

"I see," Examon said. He frowned sceptically. "And you think that Alphamon would be up for that?"

OuRyuumon folded his arms indignantly. "He will if we all go."

"Well, I wouldn't mind," Dukemon admitted. "And I agree that Alphamon could use a distraction."

"I'm in," UlforceVeedramon said with an excited grin.

"Me too," Craniamon spoke, grinning at the idea of all the contests.

"If Alphamon agrees, I'm up for it," Magnamon told them.

Examon also nodded, somewhat curious to see what the Spring Festival was like.

"Great," OuRyuumon said, smirking. "Then let's go put it to the others."

The five Royal Knights stood up and followed OuRyuumon out of the room to find the other knights downstairs.

* * *

><p>"No, that's a horrible idea," Alphamon said firmly.<p>

He stood in the marble foyer, looking OuRyuumon square in the face. They were surrounded by the other ten Royal Knights. Alphamon was the only one of the knights who was in his armour. The rest wore their casual clothes as a result of the lack of activity lately.

"What?! It is not!" OuRyuumon protested.

"Come on, Alphamon," Dukemon implored. "I think we could all use a stress reliever. All we've been doing these past few days has been sitting on our hands while Grani and his scouts search the area."

"There's a fugitive from the Dark Area on the loose, Dukemon," Alphamon told him. "There are more productive things that we should be doing than having our whole team go out to a festival. We could be honing our skills, at least."

"Our skills are pretty honed," Dukemon countered. "A few hours away at the Spring Festival isn't going to make a difference to that."

"We could call it a public relations mission," UlforceVeedramon suggested, smiling.

"I'm with Alphamon," Duftmon spoke up. "I also think it is a waste of time."

"You're just anti-social," OuRyuumon told him flippantly. "And you have zero concept of fun."

"And you have zero concept of common sense," the leopard knight retorted. "What if something happens while we're gone?"

"We'll get a messenger to send for us," Craniamon said.

"If anything were to happen today, it might be most likely to happen at the crowded festival," Examon reasoned.

"He has a point. We could call our presence there security too," UlforceVeedramon added.

Alphamon frowned. He wasn't convinced.

"Why don't we put it to a vote?" Omegamon asked him.

"Fine..." the leader of the Royal Knights said, although reluctantly. He looked around. "All those against?"

Alphamon raised his hand, as did Duftmon. He inwardly cursed at the result. "All those abstaining?" he asked again.

Omegamon raised his hand.

"...All those in favour?" Alphamon asked in a defeated voice.

Dukemon, Magnamon, UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, Examon, RhodoKnightmon, Dynasmon, Sleipmon, and OuRyuumon all raised their hands.

"Very well..." Alphamon told them, suppressing his annoyance. "Can I at least stay here?"

"Not a chance," OuRyuumon told him, smirking.

Alphamon brought his hand to his face and sighed. He knew that OuRyuumon would literally drag him if he needed to. "Rrgh..." was his only sound of reluctant submission.

Duftmon folded his arms. "Very well. It will constitute my exercise for the day. Just as long as I'm under no obligation to do anything," he responded.

"Oh, yeah. Sure!" UlforceVeedramon assured him, although crossing his fingers behind his back.

"Then let's go in, say, half an hour?" OuRyuumon suggested.

RhodoKnightmon nodded. "That should be enough time for me to get something ready for the food tables," he replied, beginning to think about what he could make.

"Yeah, the rest of us will get ready," Dukemon said.

Alphamon grunted. "Alright," he muttered, walking to the left set of stairs and heading up to his room on the second floor.

OuRyuumon noticed him leave and decided to follow him. "Hey, Alphamon," he said, tucking his wings back to avoid hitting the walls of the corridor as he climbed the stone steps.

Alphamon reached the hallway on the second floor and turned around to look at OuRyuumon as the dragon emerged from the stairwell. "What are you thinking, OuRyuumon? What's this about?" he asked shortly.

The taller dragon raised an eyebrow and looked down at Alphamon. "Huh?" he asked. "I just think that you need a break. You've been stressed out ever since you found out the rift had been getting bigger."

"Of course I have," Alphamon retaliated. "And with good reason. There's a highly dangerous Digimon roaming around the Digital World and _you_ want to go to a festival."

OuRyuumon couldn't help but sneer, feeling affronted. "Yeah, I do," he replied defensively. "We can't do anything right now, so I want to help take your mind off it."

"I don't need my mind taken off it," Alphamon explained, leering up at the dragon. "The fugitive is exactly what we all should be focusing on."

The gold serpent rolled his eyes. "And until then, you're going to keep snapping at me and the other Royal Knights?" he asked.

Alphamon paused, thinking to himself. "Have I really been that bad?" he asked.

OuRyuumon nodded with a serious look. "I thought being into guys would save me from having to deal with moody significant others," he mentioned.

"You're a fine one to talk," Alphamon contended. The black knight grimaced almost immediately upon hearing the words leave his mouth. He brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, OuRyuumon… You're right; I _have_ been short lately due to the circumstances. And I know you're only trying to help."

"Yeah, well... I'll forgive you if you come with me to the Festival," OuRyuumon told him, offering him a half-smile. "And I don't want you to be making a face the whole time either."

Alphamon gave him a small grin. "Alright… Fine. We have a deal."

"Good." OuRyuumon smirked and walked forwards to hug Alphamon.

Alphamon began to return the hug, but his eyes suddenly widened and he sharply pushed OuRyuumon back. OuRyuumon looked at Alphamon in surprise and was about to say something in annoyance, but then he noticed that Alphamon was looking past him. This prompted OuRyuumon's heart to drop and look behind himself nervously.

Omegamon stood at the top of the stairs, behind the gold dragon. "...Sorry. Don't mind me," the white knight told them quickly, averting his gaze. He turned right, down the hall, and walked past them hurriedly and awkwardly.

The two watched with bated breath as Omegamon walked down the hall and disappeared inside his room. When the door closed, they sighed.

"Great..." Alphamon muttered, grimacing and rubbing the back of his head. "This is why we don't have intimate moments in public."

OuRyuumon winced a bit. "Yeah... Got carried away," he mumbled. "At least it was someone who already knows."

"'At least'," the knight echoed ironically. He looked down the hall again. "I'm surprised he agreed to go to this festival, considering what happened at the Festival in Auguria."

"You need to talk to him, Alphamon," OuRyuumon told him. "Every time he's around I feel like I'm walking on eggshells. There's a tense atmosphere all the time. I think you've waited long enough, don't you?"

"I don't know," Alphamon responded, sighing lightly. He didn't want to admit it, but part of him was stalling. "Maybe. I'm just trying to figure out... the right words."

"Yeah, well, the longer you leave it, the worse it's gonna get," OuRyuumon explained. "Talk to him soon. Letting stuff like this boil up will only make it harder."

"Yes. Okay," Alphamon told OuRyuumon. "Just... not today."

"Fine, but soon," the tall, gold serpent told him. "Then that'll be one problem out of the way."

Alphamon nodded and looked down towards Omegamon's room. "I hope so..."

* * *

><p>After a forty five minute walk through their territory, the twelve members of the Order arrived at the Spring Festival, just inside the neighbouring state of Aurum. Aurum was named partially for the river, the Aurum Magnus, which ran directly through the state. The river had a mysterious yet beautiful gold hue to its water. There were many myths as to why the water was coloured as it was. Some thought it was blessed by Fanglongmon. Others thought that an Olegmon hid his hoard of pirate treasure at the start of the river.<p>

The Royal Knights and OuRyuumon walked on a wide, sturdy, stone footbridge that spanned the width of the broad river. They enjoyed the scenic sight of the Aurum Magnus. The gold water glistened brilliantly from the warm sunlight above.

UlforceVeedramon and Magnamon peered over the edge of the arching bridge, down at the water.

"Rumour has it that Magnamon here stashed the Digi-egg of Miracles down there," UlforceVeedramon teased.

"That's just stupid," Magnamon responded, glancing up at him blandly.

"There's a scientific explanation, surely," Duftmon mentioned self-assuredly as he walked past them on the bridge. "It likely has to do with the data."

"If there is, I don't want to know, Duftmon," Sleipmon told him, following behind him and looking around at the river. "Half of the beauty of it is not knowing."

Duftmon rolled his eyes. "Romantics..." he muttered disdainfully.

"I think it's quite beautiful as well," RhodoKnightmon remarked, observing the bright water, as he carried a large, covered platter of food in his arms.

"Meh. It's just some stupid water," OuRyuumon said dismissively from beside Alphamon. "The real action is up there."

He pointed his index claw at the other side of the bridge. The path leading away from the bridge led to the main city in Aurum, Gold Keep. It was a fairly large city, and one of the larger ones in the Free Area. Outside the gates of Gold Keep was the Spring Festival, as evidenced by the collection of hundreds of tents, stalls, and other such things. It was like the Spring Festival that was at Auguria except multiplied by ten.

There were all sorts of various games, contests, food stalls, and even rides on large Digimon on the outskirts of the festival, where there was more room.

"The community spirit sure is nice," Dukemon mused, smiling as he walked off the bridge.

"Get ready to be swarmed, everybody," Dynasmon joked, walking beside the crimson knight.

Omegamon winced and began to lag to the back of the group so that he could avoid being part of the center of attention.

UlforceVeedramon got behind Omegamon, placed his hands on his back and ushered him forwards. "Come on now, don't be shy, Omegamon," UlforceVeedramon said with a broad grin. "You're something of a heartthrob, you know."

"Ulforce!" Omegamon said in protest, getting pushed alongside the Royal Knights as they entered the festival.

It wasn't long until the large amount of Digimon there began to recognize them. Excited voices began to ring out and spread among the crowds, at the fact that not just one, but the whole team of Royal Knights were there. The Royal Knights soon found themselves surrounded by excited fans.

Omegamon became flushed. He really hoped that this would mean getting mostly all of the recognition over with. "Thank you for your kind words," he sheepishly told some of the Digimon that started fanboying at him.

Dukemon and Sleipmon, on the other hand, happily took to signing autographs, using some pencils that they brought.

Examon was adapting to swarm of Digimon around them. He was used to getting some crowds back at the UDC, particularly after he helped fend off bandits, but this felt much different from that. He looked over at Magnamon. "How long does this usually last for?" he asked him.

Magnamon chuckled. "We'll be free after a few minutes or so," he assured the dragon.

After a couple minutes, the crowd started to thin and most Digimon, except for the hardcore Royal Knights fans, remained.

A VictoryGreymon stood in front of Alphamon with wide, awestruck, green eyes. "And I really like your armour and your fighting style, and it was so cool the way that you took down that Armageddemon that time! I didn't see it myself but I heard about it and I'm a really big fan of all of you and it's socoolthatyou'reallhereattheSpringFestivalI'mnotfromheremyselfIcomefromavillagenorthoftheFreeArea," the VictoryGreymon, who was talking so excitedly that he began to string his words together, was forced to stop and take a breath. "And then-!"

A hand reached out and grabbed the VictoryGreymon's shoulder, pulling him back. The Alphamon, who had a dry expression on his face, but maintained his politeness, looked over to see a ShineGreymon pulling the VictoryGreymon a bit.

"Sorry, Alphamon, sir," the ShineGreymon told him in a cool, laid back voice, although he had an excited twinkle in his blue eyes as well. "My friend's a bit excited. He's a really big fan. Well, we both are." He pulled his friend back and whispered to him. "I said to play it cool in front of them. You'll embarrass us, dude," he told him.

"But it's the Royal Knights!" VictoryGreymon whispered back.

OuRyuumon looked over at Alphamon. "Come on, Alphamon," he said. "Let's look around."

"Yeah, let's all split up," Dynasmon said, beginning to walk down the path. "It looks weird if we're all together."

"Sounds good to me," Dukemon said, walking in a different direction.

"Wait!" Duftmon said with some distress. "We haven't assigned a meeting place! Or meeting time!" he called after them.

"We're big boys," Craniamon said to him, walking past the leopard knight. "We're not going to get lost."

Duftmon  
>frowned. "But it's essential to have an organized schedu-"<p>

"Duftmon, sir!" a voice said from beside him. The voice belonged to the VictoryGreymon Royal Knight fan again. "Can I please have your autograph?"

"Hm. Very well," Duftmon obliged, taking the pencil and scribbling down the autograph. "There you are."

"Thank you!" the young adult dragon man said, gleefully running off back to his group of Greymon friends.

When Duftmon looked up again, the rest of the Royal Knights were already out of sight. "Blast it!" he proclaimed.

* * *

><p>Alphamon and OuRyuumon walked through the festival area. OuRyuumon lead the way and Alphamon followed him, both looking around with varying degrees of excitement. They walked past various tents, both big and small, as well as countless stands. Around the fringes of the festival area were open spaces designated for things like Digimon rides, and competitions, like for archery, sword fighting, and wrestling. There were many decorations all around, styled after blue, serpentine dragons, bearing a resemblance to Qinglongmon.<p>

OuRyuumon had a stick of pink cotton candy in his hand that he munched down on. He pulled a piece of the sugary textile away with his teeth and happily swallowed it. "You should have gotten some, Alphamon," he said. "This stuff is great!"

"No, thank you," Alphamon replied, looking around the area. "I'm not hungry."

The dragon rolled his violet eyes and turned around to look at him. "You're supposed to be enjoying yourself," he reminded him.

"I'll try," Alphamon responded half-heartedly.

"What are you so worried about, Alphamon?" OuRyuumon asked him through a mouthful of cotton candy.

Alphamon stalled for a few moments before he decided to look over at OuRyuumon. "That it's _him_..." he explained.

OuRyuumon suddenly slowed down. He walked beside Alphamon. "I thought so..." he muttered heavily. "So you're worried that that bastard is the fugitive?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous. Any one of the prisoners in the Dark Area is cause for great concern. It's just, with our history... I don't know, it somehow seems worse when I think it could be him," Alphamon told him.

"There's no proof that it's him. Besides, there're a lot worse guys that could come out of the Dark Area than him," OuRyuumon explained.

Alphamon looked at him dryly. "That doesn't make me feel any better, you know..." he mentioned. He looked ahead thoughtfully. "Well, at least that I confirmed that the Dark Area is firmly sealed again. I just need to make sure that I can reinforce it. I don't want this situation to be repeated."

"Don't worry about it right now," OuRyuumon said to him. "Besides, for you, I'll gut whoever it was that escaped."

Alphamon smiled a bit. "That's sweet..." On further reflection, he raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I think..."

"Cotton candy?" the dragon offered, holding the stick in front of Alphamon's face.

"...No, thank you."

* * *

><p>Dynasmon walked down a pathway, with stalls and stands set up on both sides. In one hand he carried a sausage on a stick, the type of sausage apparently being a regional specialty from the northern half of the continent. In the other, he held a full box of DigiNoir.<p>

"The food here sure is good," he muttered to himself through a mouthful of food.

As he walked down the path, he noticed that one of the stalls was empty and had a 'closed' sign on it. Dynasmon could see the yellow, insect-like form of a Digmon anxiously pacing behind the stall. Dynasmon walked over to the stall curiously and looked at the other sign. "A kissing booth?" he asked.

The Digmon looked over at him. "Dynasmon, sir!" he exclaimed with surprise. "Uh... Well, not any more. The guy who was supposed to be the kisser came down sick, and I can't have him spreading his germs around." The Digmon sighed. "I should just take the booth down; I look ridiculous standing here."

"That's hard luck," Dynasmon observed.

The Digmon looked over at him, his eyes suddenly flashing excitedly. "Hey... You're an attractive man..." he pointed out.

"Uh, thanks. I'm only interested in women though," Dynasmon responded, smiling uncomfortably.

"Great! Then how about you substitute for my guy here at the kissing booth? It would be a massive favour to me. And being able to kiss a Royal Knight... the line would be huge!" the Digmon said with enthusiasm.

Dynasmon frowned. "Uh... I don't know..." he said uncertainly.

"Well, how about for half an hour?" the Digmon proposed. "So I can find a replacement."

Dynasmon folded his arms. "Well...okay. But only if the profits can go to a charity," he said.

"All of the profits made during the Spring Festival go towards the infrastructure of the town," the Digmon explained.

"Alright, then," Dynasmon said, smiling a bit to himself. He walked behind the booth and sat down.

"Uh... Have one of those first," the Digmon said, pointing with his drill at a bowl of mint leaves on the shelf of the stand.

Dynasmon finished his sausage, put his box of DigiNoir down, a put one of the leaves in his mouth for his breath.

The Digmon smiled gratefully. "Okay. Thanks a bunch! Enjoy!" he told him, jogging off to find a replacement.

Dynasmon shrugged and waited patiently. It wasn't long until he heard a girlish squeal of excitement. An Angewomon raced over to the booth to be his first customer. The line behind her started to swiftly grow.

"Just put the money there, my lady," he told her with a small, debonair grin.

"O-Okay, Dynasmon," she told him, blushing although looking excited as well.

After putting her money in the box, she leaned over the booth, and Dynasmon planted a soft, courteous kiss on her lips. After a second, they pulled away. The Angewomon was red faced; she whispered a thank you and ran back to her friend.

"He is a good kisser!" she told her.

Dynasmon smiled. He could get used to doing this. "Next!" he announced.

Next in line was a female AeroVeedramon, who approached the booth. Dynasmon smiled at her. "Whenever you're ready, Miss."

The process continued and the line grew longer and longer as time passed.

"Next," Dynasmon said, after dabbing his lips with a napkin.

An Airdramon approached next, looking a bit timid. "Um, hi, Mister Dynasmon," she greeted awkwardly. "I'm a big fan of yours."

Dynasmon smiled graciously. "You are? I hope I don't disappoint you then," he said with a grin, leaning on the stall with his arms and bending over the table.

The Airdramon blushed and leaned in to kiss him. He pressed his lips against hers and gave her a soft gaze before pulling away again. "Th-Thanks," she told him shyly, quickly turning and flying off.

Dynasmon smiled at the next customer. His smile vanished immediately.

RhodoKnightmon stepped forwards and leaned on the stall. Before Dynasmon could protest, he put his money down. He brought his hand up and teasingly scratched Dynasmon's chin with his index finger. "I'm waiting for my kiss, handsome..." he told him in a seductive tone.

Dynasmon's eye twitched and he took on an expression of repulsion. "I want to go home now..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Examon, Sleipmon, Craniamon, and Magnamon walked around the competition area of the festival. Magnamon looked over at them, noting that each of them had a medal and a prize.<p>

"So... each of you won something?" he asked.

"Naturally," Craniamon answered.

"It looks that way," Sleipmon humbly replied in contrast to Craniamon's self-assuredness. "I won the archery competition, Examon won the air rifle one, and Craniamon won the wrestling competition just now."

"Lucky," Magnamon responded, folding his arms. He secretly wished he had won something too.

"There was no luck involved," Craniamon told him with a small, yet confident smirk.

"Lucky for us, I meant. I didn't want to have to put up with you when you're in one of your moods," Magnamon responded jokingly.

"I feel a bit bad about competing," Sleipmon said. "It's not exactly fair for the other contestants. We are the Royal Knights, after all."

"We weren't born Royal Knights," Craniamon countered. "We became them through hard work. It's not unfair. However, I can agree that the level of competition was a little disappointing."

"Why not challenge OuRyuumon?" Examon suggested. "I saw him watching you during one of your wrestling matches. I'm sure he'd be up for going up against you in the sword fighting competition."

"You have a point," Craniamon said, enjoying the idea of competing against him.

"I see him and Alphamon up there," Magnamon said, pointing down the path to where he can see the familiar tall dragon talking animatedly with Alphamon.

"I was not!" OuRyuumon protested.

"Oh, really?" Alphamon responded, his arms folded, although he seemed to be enjoying himself. "I don't believe you."

"What did you do this time, OuRyuumon?" Magnamon asked, walking over.

"Gah!" the serpent exclaimed, tensing up upon noticing them arrive. "Nothing!"

Alphamon looked at Craniamon. "We were just discussing whether OuRyuumon was watching your wrestling match instead of getting me a drink, like he said he was going to do," he responded deadpan.

OuRyuumon flushed. What they were really debating was whether OuRyuumon was checking out Craniamon during the wrestling match or not. He was thankful Alphamon came up with an excuse, and decided to go with it. "Y-Yeah. Fine, I did. I was just hoping I could get in on a wrestling match with him," he explained. His purple eyes widened and he began to internally curse himself out as his unfortunate choice of words.

"Oh. Is that so?" Alphamon asked with a disapproving tone, although he was really just having some fun at OuRyuumon's expense.

"Uh, I m-mean. Like, any match!" OuRyuumon said hastily.

"Good. I was hoping you would accept my challenge in the sword fighting competition," Craniamon said, looking at him with a competitive gaze.

OuRyuumon blinked and eyed him. A large, toothy smirk grew on his face. "Your funeral, Craniamon," he told him. The dragon looked over at Alphamon. "You don't mind—"

"Go," Alphamon said with a light chuckle, letting him know that he wasn't actually upset. "I know how competitive you can be. Just don't hurt each other too much, even if they are just wooden swords."

"Great," OuRyuumon said, smirking at Craniamon. "You won't be so good without your shield."

"That's what you think, dragon," Craniamon answered, walking with him towards the competition grounds where a bunch of Digimon were gathered.

"I sure hope they come to a draw," Magnamon said, watching as the two departed. "Neither of them are good losers."

"That's true…" Alphamon replied pensively. "What are the others doing? Have you seen them?"

"I saw Duftmon playing a lot of chess," Sleipmon explained. "And I last saw Dukemon and Ulforce at the game where you try to strike the bell with the hammer. I'm not sure about the others though."

Alphamon nodded. "Do you three fancy getting something to eat?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind," Examon replied.

"Me neither," Magnamon said. "There are all sorts of interesting foods around here from other places."

"Alright, but nothing with horseradish," Sleipmon agreed.

Alphamon observed Sleipmon with a grin. "You know, horseradish is a plant often used in sauces; it's not a meat," he told him with amusement.

"I know, but it still makes me uncomfortable," Sleipmon answered decidedly.

Alphamon chuckled and walked with the three away from the competition area and towards the food stands further in the festival grounds. They left Craniamon and OuRyuumon to their competition, which would last over forty minutes.

* * *

><p>Dukemon and UlforceVeedramon were bent over a large pond in the ground. There were a few other Digimon beside them, doing the same. They each had tiny nets in their hands, and there were many multi-coloured fish swimming around the water. The Digimon were attempting to catch the fish in the small nets.<p>

"You were close, that time," the long, blue, serpentine form of a Seadramon said, watching the players try to catch the fish. "Remember, if you can catch the crimson firebrand, you win the grand prize."

"It won't be easy though!" a white, furry Gomamon said from atop the Seadramon's helmeted head.

"Why is this so hard?" Dukemon asked in frustration, sweeping his tiny net through the pond and catching nothing.

"I think the Royal Knights' crimson firebrand has met his match," UlforceVeedramon joked, watching as the long, red fish darted around the pond vigorously.

"Funny," Dukemon blandly replied. "I can't even catch the easy fishes, though."

"You're moving your net too quickly," the blue knight explained. "The netting's sensitive and breaks easily. Do it like me."

"I _am_ doing it like you; you've gone through the same amount of nets that I have," Dukemon answered, glancing over with a grin.

"Hey, I'm a naturally fast Digimon," UlforceVeedramon told him.

The crimson knight rolled his eyes. "I'm not giving up until I get one," Dukemon said with stubborn determination, slowly trailing his net through the water.

"Looks like we're going to be here awhile," Ulforce muttered.

Dukemon's eyes lit up as his net began to creep up on a fat, gold fish – the easiest type of fish in the pond to catch. He carefully moved his net closer and his concentration intensified. "Just a little..." Dukemon glared and gave a powerful sweep of his net towards the fish at the very last second. "MORE!"

The fish passed through the net as Dukemon swung, breaking the netting due to the speed of the swing. It continued swimming obliviously.

Dukemon's eye twitched. "WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING?!" he demanded in frustration, beginning to hack at the water repeatedly with his broken net, scaring all of the fish away.

UlforceVeedramon cringed as he and Dukemon started to get splashed by water. They got wetter and wetter the more Dukemon raged. "I don't know this guy..." he muttered miserably.

* * *

><p>"Checkmate," Duftmon smugly said.<p>

He sat at a chess board, opposite to the large, azure form of a metal dragon – a MailBirdramon. He moved his black knight and gently took his opponent's white knight away. This put the white king in inescapable jeopardy.

The MailBirdramon calmly scanned the board for alternate moves. "...Well played," he replied in defeat. "I didn't notice that move."

"Naturally," Duftmon spoke, "or else you would have been more aggressive with your knight two moves ago."

The MailBirdramon nodded. "I admit, I didn't expect you to sacrifice your queen."

"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary in the grand scheme of things," Duftmon replied, standing up.

"Even if they're important?" the steel bird asked, stepping away from the table as well. He looked down at Duftmon with a small grin. "Anyways, good game. It was an honour to test my wits against that of someone of your ability."

"I admit, you put up a valiant resistance," Duftmon told him.

The leopard knight gave him a terse nod and started to walk away, but he was nearly knocked down by a muscular figure. He winced and glared at whoever brushed past him so wantonly. "Be careful, you – Dynasmon?" he asked, recognizing the Digimon.

Dynasmon stopped and turned, looking over his shoulder with a distraught face. "Oh, it's you. I'm not feeling well; I'm going home," he told him shortly, starting to walk away again.

"It will have been all of that food that you shoveled down your gullet," Duftmon blamed, following him. "You probably have indigestion. Or perhaps food poisoning. You should go and speak to Duskmon at once. I don't want you getting sick in one of the corridors again."

Dynasmon grunted with annoyance. "I was drunk that time," he said with a dismissive wave.

"More fool you," Duftmon told him.

"Gruh. Look, leave me alone, Duftmon," he told him with irritation. "I don't need your 'I told you so's right now." Without another word, he flapped his wings and started flying back home.

Duftmon huffed and folded his arms, stopping. "Well, I never..." he uttered in indignation.

"Duftmon!" a voice called out from behind him.

The Digimon in question turned around and saw RhodoKnightmon make his way over. "RhodoKnightmon?" he asked curiously.

"Have you seen Dynasmon anywhere?" he asked. "He's been avoiding me for the past hour."

"I just saw him. He said that he was feeling ill, so he is flying back to the castle," Duftmon explained. "Why?"

"That- ugh," RhodoKnightmon groaned. "I paid for a proper kiss so I am definitely getting a proper kiss!"

"...I'm sure I don't want to know," Duftmon responded, looking exasperated.

RhodoKnightmon looked at Duftmon and grinned. "However, if you-"

"Don't be disgusting," Duftmon pre-emptively said, brushing past him and walking further into the festival.

"You're not my type anyways," RhodoKnightmon replied huffily. He turned and began to walk out of the festival, after Dynasmon. "He sure flies quickly for somebody who is supposed to be sick."

* * *

><p>Omegamon walked down a makeshift pathway near the very edge of the festival, making his way around several different Digimon as he did. He muttered a few quiet 'excuse me's and tried not to bring too much attention to himself.<p>

The white Royal Knight looked around cautiously. He had become very wary ever since he saw that this festival also had a dunk tank; he was sure that OuRyuumon would drag him over to it as soon as he saw them both in his field of vision. He didn't think his nerves could stand being made a spectacle of, so he did his very best to avoid them both.

Up ahead of him, Omegamon noticed a small, young, Digimon standing on the counter of a booth. He was a rookie Digimon with purple and white fur all over him. Above his concentrated eyes was a red gem on his forehead. The DORUmon stood firmly on the mantle with a ball in his hand. The object of the game at the booth was to throw a ball at a bunch of stacked blocks and knock them all down in order to win a prize. The most noticeable prizes were the plush toys hanging sitting at the back of the stall. There appeared to be plush toys of the Digimon Sovereigns, the Warrior Ten, and the Royal Knights.

The DORUmon threw the ball across the stall at the blocks, but the ball sailed past them and missed. He cringed with frustration.

"Hey, almost got it that time," the drum-like figure of a Dondokomon said. "You've got one more chance to knock 'em down."

Omegamon watched curiously as the young Dorumon picked up the final ball and drew his tiny arm back. The beast Digimon threw the ball and it soared towards the stacked blocks. However, it hit only the top block of the stack, which weakly fell to the ground while the other blocks stayed almost completely still.

The DORUmon looked down with disappointment. Omegamon's gaze softened and he walked over to the stand.

"Tough luck, kiddo. Want to buy another three balls and try again?" the Dondokomon asked.

"No, thanks..." the DORUmon said with disappointment clear in his voice. He turned around and hopped down from the counter to the ground.

He then saw a shadow pass over him and he looked up to see the comparatively tall form of Omegamon beside him. The DORUmon's eyes widened with both awe and surprise. "You're..."

Omegamon gave him a small smile and turned to the vendor. "I'd like to try, please," he told him.

"Sure! That'll be five bits for three balls," the Dondokomon told him, taking a basket in his drumstick hands and raising it up to the counter.

Omegamon paid and took a ball in his hand. He looked at the blocks quietly for a few moments. Both the DORUmon and the Dondokomon watched with anticipation. Omegamon's gaze hardened and he reeled his arm, winding it up, and hurled the ball at incredible speeds. The ball not only tore through the blocks, knocking them all down, but it ripped through the back of the stall and sailed onto the grass a ways behind it.

"W-Woah," the DORUmon couldn't help but say.

The Dondokomon stared at Omegamon blankly. "...W-W-We have a winner!" he exclaimed nervously. "Please! Take any prize you like!"

Omegamon turned and looked down at the DORUmon. "What prize would you like?" he asked the young beast type Digimon.

The DORUmon's eyes widened with shock. "M-Me?!" he asked him. "A-Are you sure, Mister Omegamon?"

Omegamon smiled at him and nodded reassuringly.

"Thank you... Um..." the DORUmon frowned in thought. Then, his eyes lit up. "Um... The Omegamon one!"

The white knight couldn't help but humbly blush. He turned to the Dondokomon and nodded. "That one, please."

The vendor hobbled over and collected the plush toy and handed it up to Omegamon, who passed it down to the DORUmon with a small smile.

"Thank you so much!" the DORUmon told him, smiling broadly and squeezing the large toy as he gathered it in his small arms. "You're really cool, Omegamon."

Omegamon felt embarrassed but he smiled anyways. "You're very welcome," he told him.

He watched as the DORUmon sauntered off with a spring in his step. He grinned until he heard the voice of the Dondokomon from behind.

"Um, you paid for two more balls," the Dondokomon reminded him.

"That's alright," Omegamon said, nodding at the vendor and walking off down a path that led deeper into the festival.

He walked through the crowd of Digimon, deftly avoiding big and small Digimon alike. After a few minutes, Omegamon found himself at a collection of tables surrounded by food stands. Most of the tables were filled up by hungry Digimon. At one of the tables, he noticed Alphamon, Magnamon, Sleipmon, and Examon.

Omegamon made his way over to them.

Examon looked over from eating a barbequed leg of meat. He swallowed his mouthful of food and spoke. "Omegamon," he greeted.

Alphamon looked over as well. "Oh... Hello," he said with a tiny smile.

"Enjoying yourself, Omegamon?" Sleipmon asked him.

"It's not bad," Omegamon replied. "Yourselves?"

"Yeah, the games and things have been fun," Magnamon said, grinning.

"The food is delicious too," Examon remarked. "I've never eaten some of these things before."

"Is that Dukemon and Ulforce?" Alphamon asked, looking behind Omegamon.

The others looked over and indeed saw the two Royal Knights approaching. They were soaking wet, but Dukemon was holding something under his arm.

"What happened to you two?" Sleipmon asked, grinning to himself.

"Did you guys offer to go in the dunk tank?" Magnamon questioned, chuckling.

"Don't ask," UlforceVeedramon deadpanned, leering over at Dukemon.

"Look what we won!" Dukemon announced with a triumphant smirk. He held up a cute, stuffed Magnamon toy. "It's a perfect likeness, don't you think, Magna?"

Magnamon suddenly took on a dangerous glare. "Pardon me?" he asked.

"Woah... Which one of you said that?" UlforceVeedramon asked, getting in on the joke, looking between both Magnamon and the toy. "I can't tell who's who anymore."

Magnamon glared at them. "You won't be able to tell who's who once I find that mallet."

The two knights laughed. "Oh, relax. The Sleipmon toy is just as cute," Dukemon told him.

"Is it?" Sleipmon asked, not minding the idea, himself.

"That and the Duftmon one," Ulforce said with a smirk.

"Pardon?" a voice asked from behind them.

They turned around to see Duftmon walking over. "Oh, hey, Duftmon," UlforceVeedramon greeted. "We were just saying that the plush toy version of you was cute. Especially the poofy tail."

Dukemon nodded and grinned. "They really captured your tail's poofiness," he explained, looking over at Duftmon's tail.

"Silence!" Duftmon snapped, suddenly glaring at them. "We are in a public venue! My tail will not be ridiculed!"

Dukemon and UlforceVeedramon both burst into laughter. "I think we struck a nerve, don't you, Dukemon?" the cobalt knight asked.

"There must be a lot of nerves in that tail," Dukemon answered, snickering.

Alphamon rolled his eyes. "That's enough teasing," he told them. "Have any of you seen Dynasmon or RhodoKnightmon?"

Duftmon folded his arms and looked away with indignation. "They both left to go home. I cannot say that I blame them."

"Oh, don't be like that, Dufty," UlforceVeedramon said with a broad smile.

"They went home?" Examon asked.

Magnamon frowned. "Did- oh, hey, Craniamon," he interrupted himself upon seeing the Royal Knight storm over to them. "How was the—"

It was Craniamon who interrupted that time. "I'm leaving," he announced in a familiar, cold, brusque tone which left no room for argument.

Alphamon looked at Craniamon blandly, already knowing what was bothering him. "OuRyuumon beat you," he said.

Craniamon glowered. "That slimy little lindworm cheated!" he declared angrily. "He tripped me with his tail! If it weren't for that..."

"You would have beaten him," Alphamon dryly said.

"And then the snake had the nerve to gloat afterwards," Craniamon growled, crossing his arms.

"Hey, at least it wasn't your fault," Sleipmon said to him. "So, there's no need to train until sunset."

Craniamon shrugged and continued muttering foul words under his breath.

"Anyways..." Dukemon said. He looked down at his soaked t-shirt. "We've been here for a few hours, and this water is starting to get cold."

Alphamon nodded. "Are all of you fine with heading back to the castle?" he asked.

Examon nodded. "It's been fun, but I wouldn't mind heading back."

"Me neither," Omegamon said.

The rest of the Royal Knights nodded as well.

"Alright then," Alphamon replied, smiling a bit. "You all can go on ahead; I'll go collect OuRyuumon and we'll catch up."

Omegamon paused for a few moments but nodded. "Of course," he told him. He turned to the other knights. "Whenever all of you are ready."

"Fine," Craniamon said, tersely grabbing some food from Magnamon's plate and beginning to walk.

"Hey!" Magnamon protested, frowning as he stood up.

"Don't catch up too quickly, Alphamon," Dukemon told the dark knight with a calm smirk. "Craniamon and OuRyuumon will be at each other's throats at this rate."

"I know," Alphamon responded, already having had factored that into his decision. He stood up and brought the remains of his food to the trash bin. "I'll see you all in awhile."

"Bye, Alphamon," Sleipmon told him, beginning to walk with the group.

"Come on, Duftmon! There's still time for you to volunteer for the dunk tank!" UlforceVeedramon teased.

"Don't you dare!"

Alphamon grinned and nodded at the eight knights as they departed. He turned and began to walk to the competition area of the festival, where he felt that OuRyuumon would still be.

He looked around the hordes of Digimon who were walking about, having fun, and talking with one another. Everybody was in the spirit of the festival. However, the Lord of the Empty Seat kept vigilant as he tried to spot the dragon Digimon.

After a few minutes of walking and searching, Alphamon spotted a familiar head of purple hair among the crowd that had been previously hidden by the taller body of a DinoRexmon. He made his way over to what he was sure was OuRyuumon. Alphamon approached the tall, gold dragon and reached up to tap his shoulder.

OuRyuumon turned around, a yellow popsicle half in his mouth. "Ulphamoaw," he exclaimed through the mouthful of frozen treat. He took it out of his mouth and licked his lips. "Whatever that tin can's saying, I won fair and square! He's just being a sore loser."

"What? Oh, Craniamon?" Alphamon asked. "Never mind about that. We're leaving now."

"What?! Already?" OuRyuumon complained.

"Yes. Everybody else has already left. Besides, is there anything left to see after several hours?"

"I didn't get a snow cone yet," OuRyuumon replied.

"You're eating a popsicle," Alphamon pointed out, dryly. He saw OuRyuumon looking annoyed. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. One snow cone, but then we're leaving."

"Deal," OuRyuumon said, heading over to the snow cone stand occupied by the snowman Digimon Frigimon. "One black snow cone."

"A duskberry snow cone coming up," she said, filling up a cup full of shaved ice and dripping a black, fruit syrup over it. She handed it to him and he took it before paying.

"Don't want one, Alphamon?" he asked him.

"No, thank you," he replied. "Can we go now?"

OuRyuumon shrugged. "Yeah, sure," he said, beginning to walk alongside him. They walked side by side through the river of Digimon. "What's the hurry?"

"No hurry," Alphamon told him.

The gold dragon looked at him suspiciously. "So, you're not still on pins and needles, wanting to get back to the castle in case we miss something?" he asked him.

Alphamon paused for a brief moment of contemplation. "Actually... No," he responded.

"No?"

The knight shook his head. "To be honest, I'm glad that you made me come," he told him, looking over with a smile. "Being here helped me to take my mind off of everything that's been going on back home."

As OuRyuumon walked, he grew smug and placed his arms back behind his head as if it were no big deal. "You see? I knew that would happen," he said with a confident grin.

"OuRyuumon?"

OuRyuumon opened an eye and looked over. "Yup?"

"Your popsicle is dripping all over your back," Alphamon deadpanned.

OuRyuumon tensed up and abruptly moved his hands back in front of him. "Shit!" he yawped, quickly looking over his shoulder.

Alphamon laughed and patted his wing.

OuRyuumon couldn't help but smirk as well. "Sure, laugh. I try to do a nice thing for ya and this is what I get..."

"Sorry," Alphamon apologized, although still grinning. "Seriously, thank you. I know I wasn't keen on the idea, but you turned out to be right."

"Hey, I am your advisor for a reason," OuRyuumon told him.

"I suppose so," the leader of the Royal Knights replied. The two began to head to the festival's exit, towards the bridge that they crossed to get there.

* * *

><p>Alphamon and OuRyuumon walked back towards their territory, with Gold Keep and the Spring Festival at their backs. The mid-afternoon sun rested low in the sky and made for a relaxing, warm day. They strode down a dirt path that separated the grassy plains.<p>

On their right were flat, grassy fields, which were fairly commonplace for the Free Area. Over to their left was a lengthy hill that was kind of like a down land; its apex continued down on a flat incline for a good distance before sloping down back to ground level. Beyond the crest of that hill was more hilly terrain that went on for about two kilometers before becoming grassland again.

The sun wasn't so low that the two Digimon were shielded from it by the hill. In fact, only the very bottom of the sun started to dip behind the grassy summit.

The two walked, taking their time. Alphamon wasn't in a particular hurry to catch up with the rest of the Royal Knights, who, by now, had a large lead on them.

"So, I guess you won't mind going to the Summer Festival, huh?" OuRyuumon asked, looking over at Alphamon.

"I could be convinced..." Alphamon answered with a vague grin.

"Okay. Looks like I'll have to convince you, then," OuRyuumon said to him with a wink.

"I suppose you will."

"Oh, I will." OuRyuumon idly flicked his tail behind him. "Hey, did I tell you? This VictoryGreymon guy asked for my autograph. He knew a lot about me too. I guess I don't have to be a Royal Knight to be famous, huh?"

Alphamon looked over with a smirk. "Does that mean you're satisfied being my advisor?" he teased.

"Hell no!" OuRyuumon looked down and to his right, at the Digimon walking beside him. Alphamon looked back at him but he was distracted when something caught his eye. "By the way," the dragon started, grabbing Alphamon's gaze only for a split second. "Did you happen to talk to-"

Alphamon suddenly grabbed OuRyuumon's shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. OuRyuumon opened his mouth to ask what's gotten into him but he swiftly noticed that Alphamon was looking past him. OuRyuumon didn't like seeing that look in Alphamon's eyes again. He slowly turned and looked over his shoulder.

Standing at the top of the hill was a figure.

OuRyuumon squinted his eyes, his view slightly obstructed by the sunlight. The silhouette was bipedal, humanoid, and dark in shape. The sun behind the male figure caused his features to be cloaked with dusky shadows, and it also caused him to cast one long shadow down the face of the hill. OuRyuumon couldn't make out the Digimon, but he saw that he had a long, black and dark blue cape on his mantle, which fluttered to the side with every gust of air.

"Who is that...?" OuRyuumon asked.

Alphamon was silent. Instead of replying, he brushed past OuRyuumon and began climbing the hill.

"Alphamon?" OuRyuumon questioned, perplexed. He started mounting the hill, following after Alphamon. "What are you doing?"

Alphamon took no notice of OuRyuumon's words. He just kept scaling the grassy hill with silent, intense determination. He looked up. The shadowy figure didn't move a muscle. It was as if he was waiting for him.

The higher Alphamon walked, the faster he went. He breathed heavily as he grew nearer and nearer to the top of the hill. His heart beat faster as more and more of the silhouette became revealed.

He made out armour that was as black as the night, much like Alphamon's own armour. His body was covered with metal plate mail. His chest was silver. Although the edges shimmered against the sunlight, the chest armour was the fearsome face of a darkened skull. The skull was crowned with a jagged gold crest, just below his metal collar. It matched the gold of his spiked knees and boots, his horned helmet, and the blades on the massive sickle like feature that adorned his left shoulder went all the way down his arm. On his opposite shoulder was a spaulder shaped like a visor-clad helm.

However, the part of the body that Alphamon looked at was his face. The face looked down the hill at Alphamon, who stopped just below him.

Alphamon stopped in his tracks, staring up at him with wide, red eyes. His heart pumped what felt like a million beats a minute. A shaky, distraught breath escaped his mouth as he gazed up the hill with horror and disbelief.

The metal-covered face continued leering down at Alphamon. Shadows loomed over his facial features, and his steely yellow eyes just kept staring.

"Alphamon..." DarkKnightmon calmly greeted him. "How nice to see you again."

With gaping eyes, Alphamon whispered under his breath to himself.

"'Beware the Black Knight_.'_"


	20. Chapter 14: Spectres of the Past

**Chapter 14: Spectres of the Past**

An eerie wind blew down across the crest of the hill. DarkKnightmon's dark cape shuddered in the breeze as he gazed down at Alphamon. Both bodies remained still, almost as if entranced by the other's presence. However, in Alphamon's case, he was stalled by the sense of dread. In DarkKnightmon's case, he was awaiting Alphamon's reaction.

OuRyuumon stood below Alphamon, further down the hill, gazing at the Digimon in shock. His face soon morphed into a savage, draconic glower, and he flapped his wings, ripping up the hill and getting beside Alphamon.

"You!" he demanded in agitation. "What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?!"

DarkKnightmon slowly turned his head towards OuRyuumon in recognition, unfazed by his aggressive, confrontational manner. "OuRyuumon... I suppose this is the second time that you didn't expect to see me again, isn't it?" he remarked to the dragon with a twinkle in his eye.

OuRyuumon clenched his teeth and glared deeply. A sharp hiss escaped his throat.

"You're... the fugitive..." Alphamon finally said, composing himself. "You escaped the Dark Area... How...?"

"I suppose it wasn't as impervious as Imperialdramon Paladin Mode intended," DarkKnightmon answered cryptically.

"You suppose a lot, skull face," OuRyuumon snarled scathingly.

"I suppose I do," the dark knight dryly said. He turned to Alphamon. "How is the Order doing? The other Royal Knights?" he asked.

"That is not any of your business, DarkKnightmon," Alphamon firmly told him, taking a step forwards.

"You wound me, Alphamon," the fugitive replied, although he didn't sound wounded at all.

"That's the plan!" OuRyuumon shouted. Suddenly, the dragon dashed forwards, summoning the twin Gairyu scimitars in his hands.

A shroud of darkness surrounded DarkKnightmon's right hand, and in a sharp burst of shadows, he summoned a huge, double-ended, blood red lance. He swung the mighty Twin Spear in front of him and blocked the descending swords, resulting in a flurry of sparks from the impact. His gold eyes narrowed and he drove his foot into OuRyuumon's long body, sending him careening back into Alphamon.

Alphamon let out a grunt of pressure as he caught OuRyuumon with one hand and stepped back to keep himself from losing balance on the hill. The Lord of the Empty Seat raised his hand in front of him, reaching past OuRyuumon. Emerald particles quickly gathered in the palm of his hand and glowed intensely. "Digitalize of Soul!" he shouted. A green beam blasted mightily from his palm towards DarkKnightmon, singing the tips of the grass below.

DarkKnightmon's eyes flashed and he swung his dual lance in front of him, slamming it into the blast. He just barely managed to deflect the beam, but it sent his spear jerking back in his hand. DarkKnightmon used the momentum to swing the Twin Spear up and he began to swing it around rapidly. Shade began to emanate from the spear and spiral around his body.

"No!" Alphamon cried out, pushing OuRyuumon to the side and dashing up the hill towards DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon rotated the spear faster and faster. Darkness bled from the Twin Spear and revolved around him, the shadows of murk and gloom crackling and whirring violently. The shadowy tornado consumed DarkKnightmon and began to tear up the grass around him, preventing Alphamon from getting close to him.

"Treason Vortex!" DarkKnightmon exclaimed.

"DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon called out in frustration as he tried to make his way towards the powerful, gyrating darkness.

"We will meet again, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon said to him, staring at the black knight through the shadows. His eyes flashed red. "I promise." His face was then concealed by a tendril of shade.

"No!" the knight protested. He got ready to summon his Seiken Gradalpha to hack through the tornado, but the shadows suddenly expanded and amplified.

The black, deadly whirlwind consumed both Alphamon and OuRyuumon and threw them into the air. The two crashed into the ground and they rolled and tumbled violently down the hill until they hit the very bottom.

Alphamon winced but wasted no time in getting to his feet. He was about to dash back up the hill when he saw that the dark funnel of power had vanished.

OuRyuumon spat and scrambled to his feet. He flapped his bladed wings and raced to the top of the hill, Alphamon right behind him. "He's gone!"

"What?!" Alphamon demanded, reaching the crest of the hill in record time. He looked around. The only trace of DarkKnightmon was the spiral pattern of ripped up dirt in the grass below. "Where is he?!"

OuRyuumon flew up high into the air for a better vantage point, looking around in all directions. "Not a frigging trace!" he told Alphamon.

"No..." Alphamon clenched his fists and shut his eyes. "How could we let him escape...?"

OuRyuumon grimaced and flew back down, landing beside him. "We'll get him... Did you notice? He was weaker than usual. He still hasn't recovered all of his energy from when he escaped."

"Then we can't let him recover," Alphamon responded firmly, he looked around the landscape in agitation and concern. "We need to look for him."

"He's not anywhere in sight, Alphamon," OuRyuumon told him. "These eyes don't miss much. He must have whisked himself away in that Treason Vortex." The dragon spat in disgust. "Tch. Fitting name, isn't it?"

"We can't leave him unchecked. He must be somewhere nearby," Alphamon stubbornly insisted.

"The best thing we can do is go home and tell the others about this," OuRyuumon explained. "I want to beat him senseless as much as you do, but... we should go back."

The Aloof Hermit grimaced. He reluctantly gave a nod. "Fine... You're right. We'll go back," he tersely announced. He turned and started speed walking down the hill, back to the path. "Let's go."

OuRyuumon watched Alphamon walk away with pensive, worried eyes. He sighed, spread his Gaiba Daimeijin wings, and glided down the hill after him. The two hastily made their way back towards the Royal Knight Headquarters to announce the bad news.

* * *

><p>Examon sat in his seat in the council room. All of the Royal Knights had been summoned suddenly and asked to convene there. Nobody was really sure why Alphamon asked them to gather, but it was clear that he was very flustered about something.<p>

The red dragon eyed Alphamon calculatingly from across the table, watching him as he sat and tried to maintain a calm facade. The rest of the Royal Knights looked at him as well, waiting for whatever he was going to say. An air of tension loomed heavily over the room.

"OuRyuumon and I saw the fugitive," Alphamon spoke up. Sounds of surprise filled the room. "On our way back here."

"What happened?" Dynasmon asked him fervently.

"He escaped," Alphamon replied, stifling a cringe. "Furthermore, the fugitive is DarkKnightmon..." He stopped and allowed some of the Royal Knights to absorb the information.

There was a tense pause that was quickly broken by Dukemon.

"What?!" Dukemon shouted, abruptly standing to his feet and accidentally bumping Grani in the process. "DarkKnightmon?!"

"Are you positive?!" Dynasmon also demanded.

Alphamon nodded grimly.

"Him of all Digimon..." Magnamon said bitterly.

Omegamon simply grimaced and looked over at Alphamon.

Examon frowned. He still wasn't sure who this DarkKnightmon was. The knights who knew who he was were all very vague when talking about him, and the logs on the computer weren't much better. They went into detail on all the other Dark Area prisoners, but not him. It left Examon and the other non-founder knights in the dark.

"Is this supposed to be a big deal?" Duftmon asked. "Many of us don't know what to expect from this 'DarkKnightmon' due to the sloppy, haphazard reports that are on him in the database."

"Is he the one who tried to kill you, Alphamon?" RhodoKnightmon asked, tapping his chin and thinking back.

"Haven't they all tried to kill him?" UlforceVeedramon pointed them out.

Alphamon rubbed his temples with his fingers. "I will brief you all on him tomorrow," he replied slowly, as if trying to suppress his exasperation.

Duftmon folded his arms. "And you let him escape?" he asked, looking at Alphamon.

OuRyuumon narrowed his eyes and stepped forwards to retort, but Alphamon raised a hand to stop him. The Lord of the Empty Seat took a deep breath and gazed at Duftmon. "...Unfortunately, yes, I did," the Royal Knight answered.

"Hmph. Then perhaps you should have finished him off to begin with instead of simply banishing him to the Dark Area," Duftmon told him.

"Duftmon?" Alphamon irately asked.

"Yes?"

"Silence yourself, for once," he ordered the tactician. "This is one time that I don't need your snide comments and smug, hindsight opinions on matters that you know nothing about." Before Duftmon could begin to react to the chastisement, Alphamon turned to Dukemon and Grani. "Grani. Intensify your reconnaissance efforts. Increase the scout presence in Aurum, but don`t limit patrols to that province; he may have relocated after we spotted him. At the very least, we know who we're looking for now."

"Understood," the Zero ARMS answered obediently.

Duftmon crossed his arms and flicked his blonde hair back irritably. "And the rest of us, _leader_?" he asked, although he made no effort to hide resentment in his voice.

"Stand by until further notice," Alphamon said, ignoring the sarcasm this time. "Get your weapons and armour touched up and get some rest. I doubt he'll show his face again today. As I said earlier, you'll be briefed on DarkKnightmon tomorrow morning. Understood?"

"Very well," Duftmon answered. He stood up from his seat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have things that I would rather do."

Alphamon watched as Duftmon exited the council room. The sound of his metal boots walking across the marble floor was the only sound that could he heard. It slowly grew softer as he went further away. The black knight turned back to the Royal Knights. "That was about all I had to say anyways," he told them. "I apologize that I had to ruin your day with this news."

"Don't worry about it, Alphamon," Magnamon assured him, standing up as well.

Alphamon nodded. He turned towards the open set of double doors leading into the great hall with a dour frown. "I have... some business that I must take care of too," he said to the other Royal Knights. "This meeting is adjourned."

He walked out of the council room, his blue and white mantle flowing behind him. He didn't wait for OuRyuumon or any of the other Royal Knights.

Dukemon and Grani exchanged looks. "I guess that's it," the crimson knight said, standing up.

"I'm going to wash up and then see how dinner is coming along," RhodoKnightmon mentioned, standing as well.

The Royal Knights left their seats and exited the council room. When they entered the great hall, they began to break off in different directions with different people.

Craniamon disappeared out the nearest door, followed by Dynasmon and OuRyuumon. Omegamon, RhodoKnightmon, and Magnamon went through the opposite door, into a corridor. Examon walked with Dukemon, Grani, Sleipmon, and UlforceVeedramon down the great hall towards the foyer.

"I'm guessing this isn't good news," UlforceVeedramon said with a serious look in his eyes.

"You guessed right," Dukemon answered him. His tone was also dire.

UlforceVeedramon sighed. "Well, I'm going to have a shower. I'll talk to you guys later," he told them, walking ahead of the group with the speed that he was known for. He looked over his shoulder with a small grin. "If we're going to end up bloodied and beaten, I at least want to smell nice."

Dukemon managed a fleeting smirk as UlforceVeedramon disappeared within the foyer. Grani looked over at his friend. "How are you, Dukemon?" he asked, speaking specifically with regards to what Alphamon revealed.

"I'm a Royal Knight, Grani; I'll manage," Dukemon assured him. He grinned at the dragon. "Don't you have some work to do other than worrying over me?"

"I was trying to procrastinate just now," Grani joked in a deadpan voice, turning his azure eyes back forwards. "Fine, if you want me out of your hair, I have plenty that I need to do."

Dukemon playfully pushed him. "Better get going then," he advised the Zero ARMS.

"Very well," Grani said, although giving Dukemon a lingering glance.

"Go. Stop fretting," the red and white knight told him, compounding his words with a reassuring smile.

Grani muttered something about stubbornness and began flying ahead of the three, into the foyer.

Examon couldn't help but frown. He didn't understand the situation at all, and he was consternated by everybody's sudden change of mood caused by this mystery Digimon. "Is this 'DarkKnightmon' really that... fearsome?" he asked Dukemon.

"It's not really that..." Dukemon admitted, looking back at him. "Don't get me wrong, the guy's really strong. It's just... there's a lot of history surrounding that guy. You'll find out tomorrow, Examon. You too, Sleipmon."

Examon nodded. "This is kind of disconcerting, seeing you all so distraught."

"He has a point, Dukemon," Sleipmon agreed, as the three walked into the marble foyer.

"It's probably just the shock of old scars," Dukemon told them. "None of us expected to see DarkKnightmon again."

"I'm guessing you guys wished you had reformatted him when you had the chance," Examon remarked.

Sleipmon slowed down his gait and stopped in the middle of the octagonal room. Dukemon halted by one of the pillars and turned around to see why Sleipmon had stopped.

Soon after, Examon came to a halt, wondering why he was the only one still walking. He turned around and was surprised to see Sleipmon glaring at him.

"Is that your answer to everything, Examon?" Sleipmon asked, his voice controlled yet radiating anger and disappointment.

"Sleipmon?" the dragon asked in confusion. He wasn't sure what the horse Digimon was talking about or what set off this sudden change in mood.

Dukemon frowned and stood between the two. He doubted anything drastic would develop, but he felt compelled to anyways. "I don't think he knows what you're talking about, Sleipmon," Dukemon said, looking from Examon to Sleipmon.

Sleipmon's brows furrowed. "That's the problem. You don't seem to grasp the idea that killing Digimon is wrong."

"Of course I do," Examon replied coolly. "How can you think that I don't know that killing innocent Digimon is wrong?"

"Innocent?" the large horse man asked. "What makes a Digimon 'innocent'? Who decides that? Do you?"

"What are you talking about, Sleipmon?" Examon replied calmly, although he was feeling confused and somewhat annoyed by Sleipmon's accusatory tone. "Does this have to do with what I said about DarkKnightmon?"

"This isn't just about that," Sleipmon insisted, his gaze level with Examon's. "You also said that about Imperialdramon..."

Examon's gaze suddenly narrowed. "He was wreaking havoc on that town, wasn't he?" he debated sharply..

"He's just a kid," Sleipmon argued. "People like you, Rhodo and Duftmon... You seem to think that 'reformatting' is an acceptable solution because it's easy or practical."

"Isn't it?" Examon retorted. "They typically aren't permanently deleted. They're reborn as Digi-eggs, you know."

Sleipmon grimaced and tore his gaze away from him. "You just don't understand..."

Examon frowned deeper at the six-legged Digimon. "No. I don't... Are you saying they should have kept DarkKnightmon alive? You know as much as I do about that situation, don't you? It's obvious that he is highly dangerous."

"I'm saying that killing should only be used as an absolute _last resort_," Sleipmon passionately contended.

"Even if that endangered innocent Digimon?" Examon countered.

"I'm not getting into that argument again," Sleipmon answered irritably.

"You were the one that started this debate," Examon calmly reminded him, folding his winged arms.

Sleipmon grimaced. The anger on his face vanished and he looked at Examon with a beseeching gaze. "Examon... I know that when fighting Digimon, it's easy to forget... but they're just like you and I. It's not alright to just delete them, even if they are fighting against us. They have families and memories... Even if they're reborn, people will still have memories of them, and they'll still be heartbroken when they die. You use the term reformatting, and I suppose it's accurate; they become a completely new Digimon. They lose all their memories. The Digimon that they used to be is essentially dead."

The dragon's gaze softened a bit. "Sleipmon..." he said. "I see what you're saying, but those Digimon are willfully-"

"Nevermind, Examon..." Sleipmon interrupted, shaking his head and bringing a hand up to his face to rub the top of his muzzle. "Forget it. I'm sorry for preaching my beliefs to you. I think I'm just stressed out..."

"Sleipmon, you don't have to..." Examon trailed off and sighed a bit.

The cavalier Digimon smiled at him a bit. "I'm going to go rest. We'll speak later, Examon," he told him diplomatically, trying to show him that he had no ill-will. He then looked at Dukemon. "You too, Dukemon."

"Yeah... See ya, Sleipmon," Dukemon said to him, nodding.

Sleipmon nodded and headed to the left staircase to head up to the wing on the second floor where their quarters were. Examon watched as the horse Digimon's equine body disappeared up the stairs. He fidgeted with the wing on his right arm and turned to Dukemon. "What do you think, Dukemon...?"

"I think Sleipmon feels very strongly about that particular issue," Dukemon told him, smiling a bit. "I do happen to agree with him, though..."

"So... you disapprove?"

Dukemon folded his arms and leaned back against the pillar behind him. "One of the great things about the Royal Knights is that we all have different opinions from each other, even though we all have the same desires in the end. It lets us see things from different perspectives. That said, it's also the reason why we argue from time to time. Each Knight as their own different code of ethics; I doubt I could change yours any more than you could change mine, not that I would try to," he explained.

Examon nodded. "However..."

"However, I do agree with Sleipmon that killing should be used only as an absolute last resort." Dukemon smiled a bit sadly and scratched the Digital Hazard symbol emblazoned on his t-shirt. "That said, I do see your point about Digimon going on a rampage... If I ever..." He trailed off and winced. He left the words unsaid, not wanting to get into that topic, even though he was sure that Examon knew what he was talking about.

"Dukemon..." Examon said sympathetically. The dragon knight closed his eyes for a moment, quietly thinking to himself. After several pensive seconds, he opened his green eyes and looked at Dukemon. "Dukemon, you confided in me about the Digital Hazard... There's something I want to confide in you about."

Dukemon looked at him in surprise. "Oh, uh... Sure, Examon... Should we go somewhere more private?" he asked.

Upon seeing the red dragon confirm, Dukemon started heading to the set of stairs that Sleipmon had travelled up. He walked into the enclosed staircase and headed up to the second floor of the building. Examon tucked his large wings back and followed him up. By now, he was used to keeping his wings and tail in check in the sometimes narrow corridors of the castle.

Dukemon reached the top of the stairs and turned into the hallway where their living quarters were. He headed over to his bedroom. Examon followed him and entered the room after Dukemon. He closed the door behind him.

Dukemon walked over to a chair and spun it around so that it faced the double bed. He said down and gestured with his arm to sit on the crimson blanket on his bed. Examon obliged and did so. He felt sheepish all of a sudden. Talking to somebody about himself – especially very personal things - was a new experience to Examon, and he wasn't sure what to say. He began to question why he was even doing it at all.

However, he remembered that, awhile ago, he was in this exact same situation, except Dukemon was the one opening up to him. Dukemon trusted him enough to unload a secret that he was obviously ashamed of, so Examon felt that he should return the action, even if it was uncomfortable to do so. He did trust Dukemon, after all...

He could see that Dukemon was looking at him expectantly. The dragon supposed he should start, somehow. "Uh... You can probably guess that I'm from the United Dramonic Coalition... though, as you know, it was just a collection of Dramon-inhabited provinces when I first hatched...

Examon contemplated what he was going to say next and then continued. "I come from a town in the north west of the United Dramonic Coalition. It was called Wyrm's Edge. It was just east of the top most part of the Dragon Mountains. It was a calm, quiet place."

Dukemon nodded. "Sounds nice. Scenic."

"It was," Examon replied. He smiled a bit. "As you can guess, I'm from the Dracomon evolution route. I was a blue Coredramon Do you know about the species? They're somewhat rarer than other dragon Digimon."

"I know a bit about them."

"Do you know about the gekirin?" Examon asked him.

Dukemon looked confused all of a sudden. "Gekirin?" he asked.

"More commonly known as the 'reverse scale'," he explained. "Anyways... it wasn't a bad childhood or anything. My parents were good, although my father was in the military and my mother was an adventurer, so I spent a lot of time on my own. Because of that, I'm self-taught in a lot of things. However, I had a friend... My best friend, I guess."

The crimson knight nodded. He allowed Examon to continue and tell his story at his own pace.

"He was a Strikedramon. We spent a lot of our time together," Examon explained. He didn't realize it, but he was nearly wincing as this memories. "One day... We were fighting. Not 'fighting', but play-wrestling, as young Digimon do. He had me in a headlock... that's when it happened. He accidentally touched my reverse scale. It was small, so I usually didn't have a problem with it, but it was located in the groove under my lower jaw." Examon used his claw to point to the left side of his neck, showing Dukemon where the scale would be if he was in his Coredramon or Dracomon form.

"This gekerin..." Dukemon said broodingly, wondering what exactly a small scale could do.

"Up until that point, I didn't even realize I had one. That was the first time it had ever been touched," Examon explained, his draconic features tightening into a grimace. "When the gekerin is touched, it makes the dragon go wild. I don't remember anything of the attack, only a sharp, sensitive pain, and a sudden, overwhelming flood of rage." Examon looked away from Dukemon in shame. "I... went berserk. I fired off my G-Shurunen II attack mindlessly. I couldn't... control myself at all. It was this sickening, primal feeling inside me... This massive flood of draconic power and rage poured out. The next thing I remember is being completely exhausted and seeing Strikedramon lying in front of me. He was burned and bleeding all over his chest and arms. He wasn't moving."

Examon had to go quiet. It pained him to recount the burden of guilt he had been shouldering. Dukemon looked at him sympathetically. "Did he...?" he asked uncertainly.

"I don't know," Examon answered, composing himself once again. Upon seeing Dukemon's confused look, he elaborated. "The ground around me was torn up, a few huts and houses were damaged, and Strikedramon was badly wounded. My first instinct was to call for help. I tried but my throat was raw and dry, so no words came out. In hindsight, I think it must have been from roaring too much during the frenzy..." The dragon knight paused. "Then it dawned on me... It was me who caused all of that damage, who hurt Strikedramon... I panicked. I was horrified at what I had done, and I was worried that I would be blamed for what happened. I didn't know what they'd do to me. Most of all... I couldn't bear watching Strikedramon die. The guilt was so intense, so I... I ran."

Dukemon was silent. He waited for Examon to continue.

Examon sighed. "I'm not proud of it at all... but I flew away to the Dragon Mountains... It seemed like the only option at the time. I flew up, made a home for myself there, and lived off of the land. I remember I found a low peak above a forest with fresh water and cliffs that were filled with a beautiful collection of blue diamante and green malachite. So, I stayed there and trained."

"Trained?" Dukemon asked him.

Examon nodded. "Both physically and mentally. Most of all, I would agitate my reverse scale over and over. Because it was such a remote place, it was safe for me to go wild."

"But why do that?" the crimson knight questioned.

"Because I was trying to train myself to resist it," he explained, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at his claws. "I wore myself out and scratched myself up repeatedly, fighting to control the primal, draconic rage and instincts that took control whenever that scale was touched. I wanted to make sure that I would never lose myself in those destructive emotions ever again. I already hurt one Digimon that I cared about... and that was one too many."

Dukemon grimaced and nodded. "I can understand..."

"It took almost a year, but I finally managed to curb my impulses... Around the same time, I digivolved to Wingdramon," he told Dukemon. "I figured that it was time I rejoined the world, but I still couldn't bring myself to go back to Wyrm's Edge."

"What did you do?"

"I flew to another province. On the way to the capital, I came across a riverside village under attack by bandits, so I intervened. I defeated the attackers, and I guess the ruler of the area was impressed with my fighting skills. He said that they would support me if I continued to defend their territory from attackers. I didn't have any other way to support myself, so I agreed. After several years of doing that, I evolved to Slayerdramon. It was said that I was the best fighter in all of the Dramon provinces, but I'm not sure how true that was."

"Is that around the time that the provinces formed the United Dramonic Coalition and you became its protector?" Dukemon asked.

"No. That wasn't until after I became Examon. That happened a few years later, during a particularly devastating attack on the capital. I guess I evolved in part due to the high exposure to the blue diamante and green malachite in the Dragon Mountains. There was a lot of discussion about me and the UDC afterwards, and I decided to accept their offer and move to the capital of Dragon's Peak," he explained. Examon sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck when he realized that he'd been babbling on. "Sorry. I got carried away telling my life story, I think. The point was the part about the Gekerin."

Dukemon grinned. "I don't mind..." he reassured him. "So... I guess that explains why you're always so calm..."

Examon raised an eyebrow. "Does it?"

"I'd say so... You hate losing control of your emotions," Dukemon observed. He then chuckled a bit. "Unlike me, apparently. That's something that I always noticed about you."

"I suppose so..." Examon admitted. "If there's one thing that I learned from that experience, it's that I didn't want to be a destroyer. There are too many of those in the Digital World already... What I want is to be able to create something. I want to create a lasting peace in the world, like I helped to do in the United Dramonic Coalition." He looked over at Dukemon and smiled. "That's ultimately why I accepted the offer to join the Royal Knights when you came to me that day."

"Seems like ages ago, doesn't it?" Dukemon said to him, smirking.

"Yeah..." Examon said reminiscently.

"Well, what happened between you and your friend was ages ago too. You shouldn't worry about it," he told the dragon.

"I still can't help but wonder what happened to him..." Examon replied with sad introspection. "I hope he recovered."

The handle of Dukemon's door rotated with an audible click, prompting the two Royal Knights to look over, surprised. The door opened and the large form of Sleipmon stood in the doorway.

"Sleipmon?" Examon asked uncertainly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry for having listened in," Sleipmon said, bowing his head slightly. "I was walking past in the hall and..."

Examon became uncomfortable at the fact that Sleipmon had overheard his secrets. However, he supposed there were worse Digimon who could have overheard. "...It's alright. You're a trustworthy Digimon..." he said to Sleipmon, giving him a small smile.

Sleipmon nodded in thanks. Nevertheless, his expression remained serious. "Examon... Do you wish you had been killed? For what happened to your friend?" he asked him.

The dragon was taken aback by the question. He frowned and stalled, looking at Sleipmon steely. "I..." Examon broke his gaze with Sleipmon. "I did wish that. Back when I was a Coredramon," he told him calmly, although his green eyes showed hidden sadness behind them. "But now... No, I don't. While I'm still here, I can defend Digimon and the Digital World."

Sleipmon offered him a smile. "I'm glad you don't feel that way anymore. But, you know... Imperialdramon likely feels shades of what you felt," he told him. "The guilt of having... well, lost control."

"I know..." Examon admitted. "I realize that I'm likely biased. I'm not sure that I really meant that you should have killed him when he went out of control."

"Still, I was a bit harsh."

Dukemon rolled his eyes but grinned. "Oh, yeah. You used words that would make Ulforce blush," he said sarcastically, winking at the horse man.

Examon smiled at Sleipmon. "It's forgotten," he assured him. "I'll try to take what you said into account in the future."

Sleipmon returned the smile. "Well, I'll get out of your ways. I need to take a shower," he told them.

"We're done here anyways," Examon told him, standing up from Dukemon's bed. "I could use a shower too."

"Yeah, ditto," Dukemon agreed, getting to his feet as well. "I think I got cotton candy in my hair."

Sleipmon chuckled. "Let's go down, then."

Examon looked at Dukemon and began following Sleipmon out of the room.

Dukemon watched the two cross the corridor and head down the staircase. "Losing control, huh?" he mumbled to himself. He scratched the emblem on his t-shirt and made his way after them.

* * *

><p>Hours later, night loomed over the castle and the surrounding landscape. The round moon was partially shrouded by a thin veil of clouds. Its bright silhouette still managed to shine through a little bit, creating an eerie panorama of the dark landscape.<p>

The crisp, spring breeze blew across Alphamon's skin as he walked across one of the stone bridges that connected the main building to the castle wall. A Mystimon night-watchman, who was crossing the bridge in the opposite direction, respectfully greeted Alphamon as they passed by one another. Alphamon returned it and walked over to the ramparts.

He sighed and placed his hands on the coarse, stone parapet. The rough, gritty bumps felt cool beneath his fingers as he leaned forwards on his arms. Alphamon looked out across the tranquil night landscape. Nothing moved but the spectres of clouds overhead. However, given the present circumstances, the peacefulness was replaced with uneasiness. He half expected to see DarkKnightmon lurking in the dusk's shadows.

Alphamon's eyelids closed over his red irises and he took to his thoughts.

"I thought you might be out here," a voice said.

The Lord of the Empty Seat opened his eyes and turned around. Omegamon was making his way across the same stone bridge that he had come from. The white knight walked up to Alphamon's side and turned to look at him.

"Omegamon..." Alphamon said with a trace of apprehension. He turned back to the landscape.

"You often come out to the wall at night when you want to think," Omegamon told him, turning and leaning forwards onto the parapet as well.

Alphamon paused. "It's peaceful out here," he answered. "Usually."

"You're thinking about DarkKnightmon," Omegamon assumed.

"You don't have to be a fortune-teller to guess that," Alphamon quipped.

Omegamon was silent.

Alphamon glanced over to see the white knight grimacing somewhat. He suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. "I'm sorry, Omegamon," he told him earnestly. "I have no right to take that mordant tone with you."

Omegamon shook his head. "No, it's... You were right about the seer in Auguria," he said regretfully. "OuRyuumon and I should have listened."

Alphamon stood up straight and turned fully to Omegamon, frowning at him with surprise and compassion. "Don't be ridiculous. There was no way that we would have been able to prevent his escape even if we did go on that Baronmon's hunch. Even I doubted myself," he reassured him.

"I suppose..." Omegamon conceded.

He chose not to bring up anything else relating to that trip to Auguria. Neither did Alphamon. A painful silence ensued... Uncomfortably, Alphamon turned away again to look out over the wall. It frustrated him that he had trouble just being around Omegamon now. The two of them used to be able to comfortably share these silences with one another, but now, the unspoken words became unbearable.

"I-" they both begun, cutting the other off. They stopped sheepishly. Omegamon rubbed the back of his head and looked out at the sky. "Go ahead," he told Alphamon.

"Please," Alphamon insisted for him to speak, as he didn't really have anything to say anyways.

Omegamon nodded quietly. He slowly turned his blue eyes in Alphamon's direction. "...The rest of us are troubled too. About DarkKnightmon, I mean... Magnamon, Dukemon, Dynasmon and I have the same worries that you do. And the others are tense because they don't know what's going on," he explained.

"Is this your way of telling me that I should stop feeling sorry for myself?" Alphamon asked, glancing over at his comrade.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly..." Omegamon told him, smiling slightly. "Is that what you're doing...?"

Alphamon managed a smirk. "A little bit, I suppose..." he admitted. The smirk vanished and he sighed. "I know that I have to be strong for the rest of the order. Everything has just been... getting on top of me lately."

"That's because you always take it upon yourself to shoulder the burden, even when you have others who are willing to help lift the weight from your shoulders," Omegamon said heedfully.

Alphamon leaned forwards on the wall and looked up at the sky. After a few seconds, he turned his gaze back to Omegamon. "Isn't that what it means to be the Lord of the Empty Seat?" he asked him rhetorically, his voice slow and heavy.

Omegamon looked at him. "No... The Royal Knights are equal, Alphamon. That means we're here to support you. You aren't so high above us that you're isolated. You always speak about how you're on the same level as us – that your position is no more than being a first among equals - which means that you should be able to unburden yourself on us. We want to help, you know..." he explained to him

The black armoured knight looked away from his friend, cringing with guilt. It pained him that, even after the pain that he had inflicted on Omegamon, that the knight was still this supportive of him. He answered only with a nod, although he didn't directly look at Omegamon as he moved his head.

"Alphamon..." Omegamon started ominously.

Alphamon looked over, sensing the hesitation in his voice.

Omegamon's face was tinted pink and he had an uncomfortable look in his eyes. "I..." he began with the staggered, uncertain tone that Alphamon recognized from whenever Omegamon was put in a distressing situation such as public speaking.

The knight winced and looked down at the face of the stone block that his hand rested on. "I... don't want what happened in Auguria to make you feel that you have to be scared of me," he said to him.

Alphamon's eyes widened with surprise and, suddenly, he felt completely unsure of what to say.

Omegamon finally turned his blue eyes up to look at Alphamon. "I promised that I wouldn't tell anybody. And I support you no matter what happens," he reassured him.

"Omegamon, I—" Alphamon moved his hand from the wall, closing his fist, and looking at Omegamon with eyes of protest and passion. He opened his mouth to say what he wished he was able to say back at Auguria, but he grimaced and turned to face the castle, closing his mouth. "...I know... Thank you..."

Omegamon nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. "We should get some rest. It's getting late..." he said, looking up at the night sky.

"Y...Yes. You're right," Alphamon concurred. He looked at his friend and allowed him to lead the way as they headed back over the bridge to the main building.

Alphamon's hand brushed along the coping of the bridge's stone railing. He winced and inwardly cursed at himself. He followed Omegamon and looked at the knight's back as he followed him over the arch.

"Damn it... Why is it so hard for me to explain to him? Am I too afraid that I'll make it worse?"

Alphamon sighed to himself and walked inside. He said goodnight to Omegamon and walked into his room. He decided that he needed a good rest desperately.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the town of Lupolford, a dark figure passed down the main street. Phantom-like clouds passed over the buildings around him, and the shadow made his way through a light mist that rolled across the paved cobbles. He was the only one out walking at that time of night; the street was deserted apart from him.<p>

DarkKnightmon stopped in front of the most pronounced building in the large town. The town hall stood at the end of the main street, its stony architecture ornate and important. Just outside the entrance was a detailed sculpture of the mechanical MetalGarurumon X, one of the former mayors of the town. As he passed the ostentatious piece of art, DarkKnightmon offhandedly noted how hard it must have been to sculpt.

The dark knight made his way to the foot of the steps but stopped abruptly when the doors of the town hall slowly opened. He looked forwards and saw only a two-legged silhouette standing in the door, the side of its form vaguely highlighted by the orange glow of a torch inside.

"What are you waiting for?" a voice said to him. "Come in."

"Very well," DarkKnightmon spoke, making his way up the steps with soft, metal footsteps. A gust of wind blew against him and caused his cape to flap in the wind. The knight passed the threshold and disappeared into the dimly lit foyer of the town hall.

"Continue on through," the voice said in a harsh, growling tone. "If you don't mind."

DarkKnightmon complied and headed through the foyer to a set of double doors. With a light shove, he pushed them open and walked into a great hall. The hall was large and empty, and two-thirds of the way down the hall was a small set of steps leading up a couple of feet. On this raised area was an ornate chair. Behind it, on the far wall, were two doors leading elsewhere in the town hall. The floor of the great hall was coated in black marble, which made the sound of his boots hitting the hard surface echo around the expansive hall with every step.

DarkKnightmon walked forwards in the darkness. "Extravagant for a town hall, isn't it?" he mused aloud.

"The former mayor had an inflated perception of himself," his host told him, taking the single torch in the foyer and walking into the hall himself. "It got him killed, apparently."

"And the current mayor?" DarkKnightmon asked turning around.

The dancing flames of the torch illuminated the body of the other Digimon. A dark red dragon man stepped forwards. The crimson armour that he wore all over his body shimmered as it reflected the flames. His arms and legs were covered with hard bumps and spikes. The most noticeable of the bony spikes were the ones protruding from his shoulders, the collar of his breastplate, his waist, and his wrists. On his back he wore an immobile, metal mantle, from which three giant, black horns protruded, looming over his shoulders and head. The flames revealed his face to be equally jagged. He had sharp facial features and horns all over his jaw and forehead, not to mention one large, black nose horn. The only part of his crimson scales that were exposed were the heels of his feet, his biceps, and his waist.

The Dorbickmon grinned at DarkKnightmon, revealing rows of sharp, savage teeth. "The current mayor isn't a problem. He agreed to do anything I tell him, including handing this building over to me."

"Can you trust him?" DarkKnightmon asked, his yellow eyes carefully inspecting Dorbickmon's violet ones.

"I trust him to put the safety of the town above all else. He won't go running to the Royal Knights. He can probably guess what the consequences of that would be," Dorbickmon explained. "I made myself pretty clear."

DarkKnightmon nodded. "So, Lupolford...?"

"It's right under the Royal Knights' nose. They'll never guess that you're hiding in plain sight. The town hall of one of their territories..." Dorbickmon explained.

"Won't they?"

The dragon shook his head. "They did an inspection shortly after installing the new mayor. I doubt they'll be back for awhile, especially when they know that you're on the loose."

"Perhaps..." DarkKnightmon mused.

The dark knight turned around and walked further down the great hall. He walked up the five steps, but suddenly stopped when something caught his eye. At the back of the hall, there was a crack in the marble floor. The tiny fissure seeped dark data into the air. He turned around to Dorbickmon. "Is that a rift connected to the Dark Area?" he asked him.

"It is," Dorbickmon explained, walking up beside him. "Don't worry; nobody else will be escaping aside from you. It's just a tiny one that I'm having trouble closing."

"Good," DarkKnightmon replied. "I don't need those bastards down there getting out and causing havoc. To think that I had to spend the past how many years down there with them... It sickens me."

DarkKnightmon's eerie, yellow eyes narrowed and he turned to Dorbickmon. "By the way... I suppose I owe you my thanks," he said to him. "For helping to free me." He extended his hand to him.

Dorbickmon grinned and reached forwards to clasp DarkKnightmon's hand and shake it powerfully. "You're making me blush."

"I can't help but wonder your motivations for doing so, however," DarkKnightmon explained. "It was a huge risk."

"High risk, high reward," Dorbickmon answered, pulling his hand away. "I have to admit, it took a lot of effort altering the Digital World's dragon's veins to corrupt the integrity of the Dark Area like that. It wasn't easy keeping the whole thing stable. Like you said, there are a lot of destructive Digimon in there that we don't want getting out. That said, I only weakened the barriers for you. You used your Choujigen Axe technique to make the rift just wide enough for you."

"Thanks to your advice. Which leads us back to the question..." the shadowy knight said, his words lingering. "Why help me escape?"

"We have common enemies," Dorbickmon replied. His eyes narrowed bitterly.

"How do you know that?" DarkKnightmon questioned.

"I've read up on you," the dragon man said, turning to him. "Your past. Except I'm wondering what your intentions are now."

"I suppose they're no different from what they were before I was locked away," DarkKnightmon responded. "I'm going to dismantle the Royal Knights... and, on a pettier note, get a bit of retribution to ease the betrayal that I still feel." The knight calmly turned to Dorbickmon. "And yourself? How do I fit into your plans?"

Dorbickmon's gaze hardened. "Like I said, we have common goals..." he responded gruffly. "You were betrayed." He paused and clenched his teeth. "_I_ was betrayed... You want vengeance on the Royal Knights... I want vengeance on one particular Royal Knight..."

"I see... Then I think you and I can work together, Dorbickmon," DarkKnightmon told him.

"Good," Dorbickmon quickly answered.

"Purely out of curiosity, which Royal Knight is it that you despise so much?" the knight asked.

The dragon narrowed his eyes with dark anger, the flames of the torch reflecting in his yellow sclera, but he managed a small smile. "Oh, an old friend of mine," he told him. "The newest member of the Royal Knights...

"Examon..."


	21. Chapter 15 Part 1: The Immortal Champion

(Author's Note: I'm done my school year, so I should have way more time to write now! Also, this next chapter is going to be divided into three different parts, which I'll post in intervals of three days. I didn't want to have another two-parter, let alone a three-parter, but it happened out of necessity. It's going to be a bit different from the other chapters. Read, review, and enjoy!)

**Chapter 15: The Immortal Champion (Part I)**

A Digimon stood on the crest of a small hill, surrounded by eight others. That Digimon was a blue dragon man, humanoid in form, with a long azure tail and a pair of cloudy-white wings. He stood tall and proud before them.

The bright sunlight shone down and reflected off of his pristine, white armour that he wore over most of his body. The white metal was trimmed with gold in various places, matching the colour of his short, blonde hair, which flowed out from the back of his helmet. He gripped the hilt of his sword with his blue scaled hand and planted the blade in the ground. It stood nearly as tall as he did and had the word "Initialize" inscribed on the side in digi-letters.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's red eyes glistened in the light. He turned to observe the eight Digimon around him. He smiled warmly as his eyes first landed on a knight clad in black armour. "Alphamon," he said first.

Next, he turned to the Digimon beside him, wearing white armour. "Omegamon."

His eyes then shifted to a knight wearing white and red armour and a flowing crimson cape. "Dukemon."

His gaze dipped to a Digimon of the same Veemon-based species as him, clad in shimmering golden armour. "Magnamon."

"Dynasmon," he spoke, his eyes acknowledging the tall, white-plated, periwinkle-hued dragon man.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode then turned to one more humanoid Digimon, coated in black, silver, and gold plate. "And DarkKnightmon..."

Each of the six Digimon acknowledged the sword-wielding dragon with a nod. OuRyuumon and Grani lingered behind the group, watching.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode smiled at them. "I have fought alongside each and every one of you, time and again. And you have all fought alongside each other. I believe in your bonds, and I also believe that now is the time that we ought to make a change," he explained, his voice strong and noble.

"Is this about what we all discussed, Imperialdramon?" Alphamon asked him.

"Yes..." he replied. He looked around at all of them. "You six are officially the founding members of the Order of the Royal Knights as of now. As members of the Order, it is your job to safeguard Digimon from harm and defeat evil wherever it arises. You all have good hearts... now, combine the wills of your hearts together and become unstoppable. You will be a beacon of light and goodness in this world."

"We will do our very best," Omegamon reassured him.

"I have no doubt in my mind you all will," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode answered. He turned his gaze to Alphamon. "And you shall be the leader, Alphamon. The Lord of the Empty Seat."

Alphamon frowned with uncertainty. "What about you, Imperialdramon? I know we discussed this, however..."

"My calling is elsewhere, Alphamon," the dragon man told him with a smile. "You have the leadership abilities necessary for the responsibility. Do not doubt yourself."

DarkKnightmon walked over and placed his hand on Alphamon's shoulder. "Imperialdramon is correct. Besides, we are all behind you," he reassured him.

OuRyuumon narrowed his eyes a bit and began to walk to the crest of the hill.

"He's right, Alphamon," Dukemon said, grinning. "We can pull it off."

Omegamon looked at Alphamon and nodded, quietly expressing his support.

"But we don't have a base of operations," Magnamon pointed out.

"Don't you?" Imperialdramon asked with a sly grin on his face.

Dynasmon turned to Imperialdramon Paladin Mode curiously. "Do we?" he asked.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode gestured down the small hill to the stone castle in the distance. The six knights turned, looking past the approaching OuRyuumon.

"...Your castle?" Alphamon asked. He turned to Imperialdramon in disbelief. "You don't mean to say that you want to give that to us."

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode folded his arms, looking taken aback and somewhat offended. "Hey, now. It isn't _that_ bad. If you really don't want it though..." he muttered, scratching the metal dragon head on his chest armour.

"I mean, you can't give a gift so big," Alphamon explained. "It's too much."

"That is for me to decide, Alphamon," Imperialdramon told him with a light smile. "It's rude to reject a gift. Now, you'll likely need to make several additions to the castle to truly make it the Order's headquarters and spacious enough for a standing army, but I'm sure you'll all be able to figure it out."

"Where will you be going, Imperialdramon?" Omegamon asked him.

Still wearing a wry smirk, the dragon knight responded. "'Where?' indeed." He clasped his hands together. "Now, you six, gather in a circle and put your hand on one another's."

Alphamon, Omegamon, Dukemon, Magnamon, Dynasmon, and DarkKnightmon all gathered in a circle. Before they could move their hands, a voice called out.

"Wait a second, damnit!" OuRyuumon protested, storming over. "What about me?! Why aren't I a part of this again?!"

"It might have something to do with the fact that you enjoy shouting your mouth off… like you're doing now," DarkKnightmon dryly informed him, glancing over his shoulder at the gold dragon.

"Who asked you?" OuRyuumon snarled at the black knight Digimon.

"OuRyuumon..." Imperialdramon Paladin Mode said to him warmly. "Alphamon will need you as his trusted friend and advisor."

"Yeah, and why can't I do that as a Royal Knight?" the gold dragon contended, folding his arms.

Magnamon and Omegamon exchanged uncomfortable glances. DarkKnightmon rolled his eyes and raised an index finger, making to speak, but Imperialdramon Paladin Mode decided to respond before DarkKnightmon could be too harsh. He knew that the two had a propensity to bicker at times.

"Maybe Alphamon will invite you to join as an official Royal Knight after you've... grown a bit," he suggested.

OuRyuumon cocked his eyebrow up at Imperialdramon's words and sneered. "Grown? What's that mean?" he challenged. "I'm one of the best fighters here."

"That may be, but there's more to being a Royal Knight than just fighting," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode explained to him. "However, that's not to say that you won't be needed. Those fighting skills will surely be required, and, like I said, Alphamon will be able to benefit from your advice." Imperialdramon turned to look at Grani, who hovered further back. "And Grani. You said that you're prepared to act as a scout?"

"I can manage that, yes," Grani replied, glancing from OuRyuumon to Imperialdramon. "I'm content with that role."

OuRyuumon rolled his eyes and folded his arms, reluctantly dropping his protests with an indignant grunt. "Whatever."

Alphamon sighed but smirked at his friend and turned to Imperialdramon. "So, our hands on one another's, yes?" he asked him, extending his hand to the middle of the circle.

Imperialdramon nodded, and watched Omegamon place his hand on top of Alphamon's, which was followed by Dukemon's hand, Dynasmon's, Magnamon's, and DarkKnightmon's. "Now, repeat this pledge," he told them.

"I pledge my blood, my data, my heart, and my soul to the betterment of the Digital World and those who reside in it, to Yggdrasil, and, most of all, to each other. I am a Royal Knight, and this is my oath."

As each Royal Knight finished, they pressed their extended hands down and lifted up them up symbolically.

OuRyuumon whispered the oath under his breath, watching as the six Digimon officially became the Royal Knights.

"Is that it?" Dynasmon asked, grinning as he retracted his large hand.

"That's it," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode said, smiling. "Congratulations, Royal Knights."

The six Royal Knights looked at each other with smiles as well.

"What say we celebrate with ale?" Dynasmon suggested, grinning broadly.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode chuckled. "That sounds like a good plan. You all could use some relaxation time," he said. He flashed the group a smile. "Especially since you'll all be so busy shortly."

"You really know how to put a damper on things, Imperialdramon," Dukemon laughed, walking over to Grani.

"We'll have to enjoy ourselves while we still can," Magnamon said, following him.

DarkKnightmon walked alongside Alphamon and Omegamon, following the others as they made their way down the hill.

"So, 'the Royal Knights'..." Omegamon said to them, smiling a little.

"It definitely sounds prestigious," Alphamon responded, smirking as well. "However, I think that we'll be able to do a lot of good once we get set up and running."

DarkKnightmon nodded. "I agree. This might just be what this world needs..."

* * *

><p>Around a month later, things were already progressing in full swing. The castle that Imperialdramon Paladin Mode had given to them was extremely busy. Digimon were coming and going, many coming from parts all over the continent. The Royal Knights were renovating the castle and making many additions to it. At Imperialdramon's approval, they made changes to much of the interior of the castle, along with made many additions here and there. They had hired carpenters, stone masons, sculptors, architects, and heavy lifters for the various jobs that needed doing.<p>

On top of that, they were hiring Digimon to be members of the Order itself. They wanted strong, professional, loyal, and good-hearted Digimon for members of their forces. It was a time-consuming ordeal, going through the applicants, sorting out the worthy from the unworthy, and the noble from the opportunists. Each of the six Royal Knights were still finding their feet in the new environment. There were many administrative things that they weren't used to, and they had to adapt to the learning curve.

DarkKnightmon marched along the castle grounds within the walls. Dynasmon strode beside him at a leisurely pace. Around them were Digimon, busy at work. Up ahead of them was a stone building under construction; a Golemon was lifting heavy bricks as directed by a Gazimon foreman. The building was to serve as a barracks.

Even the nearby walls were under construction. There were large ditches being dug by Digmons and Drimogemons at the base of the wall, allowing Digimon to build the wall further underground to protect against burrowing Digimon.

DarkKnightmon and Dynasmon looked around them at all the Digimon moving around busily.

"I wonder when things are going to calm down," Dynasmon asked his fellow Royal Knight.

DarkKnightmon shrugged. "Another month, perhaps? A few weeks at the earliest," he replied offhandedly.

"Hopefully sooner," Dynasmon said. "I keep getting woken up early in the morning."

The tall knight nodded, glancing at the dragon man. "I'm getting weary of waiting as well. I want us to get settled into our roles."

"Settled in..." Dynasmon mused. "That's going to take some getting used to too."

"I suppose adventurers like you aren't exactly the type to settle down, are you?" DarkKnightmon asked.

"I guess not but, then again, hey! I'm a Royal Knight now!" he replied with a smile.

"Excuse me!" a voice beckoned to them.

The two Royal Knights looked over and saw a tall, dark Digimon approaching them as he walked away from the main building. They couldn't help but stare for a moment at the Digimon's nine eyes on his body.

"Greetings," DarkKnightmon said, examining him without giving a visual reaction to his unique form.

"My name's Duskmon," Duskmon said to them. The eyes on the various parts of his body looked between the two Digimon. "You're both Royal Knights, right?"

"Correct," DarkKnightmon answered.

"Yeah..." Dynasmon uncomfortably replied, seeming to be unnerved by all of the Duskmon's eyes that were staring at him widely.

"Alphamon just hired me as the resident physician, so I thought I'd introduce myself," he said, smiling a bit, a gleeful look emerging in his nine eyes.

"Congratulations," DarkKnightmon told him. He extended his arm and shook his hand. "I'm DarkKnightmon. And this is Dynasmon."

"Yeah..." Dynasmon repeated, continuing to stare at the giant eye on his chest. DarkKnightmon elbowed him sharply to keep him from staring.

"I'm sure we'll get along well," Duskmon said to them. "That said, I hope we don't see each other much while I'm on duty."

DarkKnightmon released a short chuckle. He turned to Dynasmon. "It sounds like you'll be seeing a lot of Dynasmon."

Duskmon grinned, all of his eyes once again turning to Dynasmon. "Is that so? Well, don't worry. I'll be able to fix almost anything you come in with."

Dynasmon tried his best to hide his unnerved wince. "Great... Nice meeting ya, Duskmon..." he told him.

Duskmon nodded and the eye on his right shoulder suddenly moved independently to look behind him, to where a Digimon shouted in pain and clutched his head. "I spy a concussion. I'll be seeing you both," he said to them, turning around and making his way over to the injured Digimon.

Dynasmon shuddered and sighed with relief. "That was unsettling... He's going to take some getting used to too."

"I didn't mind," DarkKnightmon said, starting to walk again.

"You think Bommons are cute," Dynasmon pointed out, walking after him. "You're not the best judge."

"At any rate, I wonder who else Alphamon has decided to hire," the dusky knight mused.

"Maybe that guy," Dynasmon said, pointing to the entrance that Duskmon had exited from.

DarkKnightmon looked over and saw a tall, sapphire-armoured wolf striding out of the building. His red cape flowed behind him as he passed the doorway. The MirageGaogamon wore ornate armour that included a metal wolf head on his chest. As he made his way away from the double doors, he looked rather pleased with himself.

Dynasmon cut in front of DarkKnightmon as he suddenly turned to walk over to the lupine Digimon. "Hey!" Dynasmon greeted.

DarkKnightmon stopped, turned, and walked over to him as well.

"Dynasmon, Sir. DarkKnightmon, Sir," MirageGaogamon said, smiling. "Hello."

"What's your name?" Dynasmon asked, looking him over. "A MirageGaogamon, right?"

He nodded. "MirageGaogamon. It's a pleasure to finally meet you both," he said. He took off one of his large, bladed gauntlets that were styled like claws, and offered his hand.

The two knights shook his hand. "Were you just hired?" Dynasmon asked. "I know Alphamon started making appointments for the applicants as of yesterday."

MirageGaogamon smiled and slipped his gauntlet back on his arm. "I was, actually," he told them proudly. "I'm the Captain of the Defence Forces."

"Hey, congratulations!" Dynasmon remarked, grinning and slapping his shoulder with his claws, taking the wolf Digimon off guard and causing him to stumble. The dragon man laughed. "For the Captain of the Defence Forces, I sure hope you can take a hit better than that," he teased.

MirageGaogamon flushed and stood up perfectly straight, readjusting his armour. He cleared his throat. "Y-Yes, well..."

"Ignore him," DarkKnightmon told the new captain. "Dynasmon's a nuisance at the best of times."

Dynasmon chuckled and folded his arms, looking over at his fellow Royal Knight. "You mean that with love, don't you, DarkKnightmon?"

"See what I mean?"

MirageGaogamon smiled a bit. "It's still an honour to work alongside you both. I've heard about both of your exploits," he complimented. "And I'm fortunate that I'm now able to help your cause to purge the Digital World of evil and to help protect the Digimon who can't defend themselves. I hope that we can strike fear into the destruction-filled hearts of evil Digimon everywhere."

"Is that so?" DarkKnightmon asked him. "You sound dedicated. I'm glad to hear that. This order needs Digimon with that resolute mindset."

"I am dedicated, Sir. I hope that my skills will come in use to you all," MirageGaogamon told them.

DarkKnightmon gave him a half smile and a nod. "Alphamon wouldn't have hired you if they didn't," he reassured him.

The beast knight nodded. "Thank you. I'll be on my way now. I look forward to working with you both," he told them.

"Likewise," DarkKnightmon responded.

"See ya," Dynasmon said as the blue-armoured Digimon walked off. The winged dragon Digimon turned to DarkKnightmon. "He seems nice. Kind of formal, though."

"And eager. He's likely capable too. I hear MirageGaogamons have remarkable speed," the dark knight observed.

"If that's the case, I'm surprised he was assigned to be Captain of the Defensive Forces instead of the Strike Forces," the violet dragon mused.

"I think it makes sense, actually," DarkKnightmon observed. "Stereotypically, defensive Digimon are slow, so having a swift captain makes a good change and adds balance. Additionally, his speed will be an asset when organising the defences of the castle, as he'll need to be in several places in a short amount of time."

Dynasmon grinned. "Okay. I defer to your strategic knowledge, oh wise DarkKnightmon," he said, ribbing him.

"Maybe if you did that more, you'd get hurt less," DarkKnightmon retorted, eyeing the Royal Knight calmly. "Anyways, I'm going to find Omegamon. I want to speak with him about something."

"Sure. In that case, I'm going to find a bite to eat," Dynasmon replied.

DarkKnightmon nodded and bid Dynasmon farewell as his comrade went off in search of sustenance. He readjusted his shadowy cape and headed inside the main building.

He walked down the entrance hall, passing a few Digimon as they headed for the exit. The whole building still had an earthy smell to him, probably from all the stonework going on. He walked up a few steps and went through a doorway into the foyer. The octagonal room was large and vacant, filled with nothing but stone flooring and walls.

DarkKnightmon noticed that the double doors on the opposite side of the room were open, so he continued to head towards him. He knew that Omegamon had been with Alphamon during the last time that he saw him, so he assumed he was helping with the interviews. It didn't seem like there was an interview in progress, so DarkKnightmon entered the vast great hall. The hall's floor and walls were coated in a swirled, white and gold marble, left over from when it was Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's castle.

At the very end of the room was a circular table of smooth, grey stone. Standing up from the table were the contrasting forms of Alphamon and Omegamon. It was when they turned and started walking away from the table that they noticed DarkKnightmon's presence.

"Oh, DarkKnightmon," greeted Alphamon with a smile.

"Alphamon," DarkKnightmon responded with an acknowledging nod. "How are the interviews going?"

"Slowly. Omegamon and I are just taking a break for lunch," he explained. He observed DarkKnightmon curiously. "Did you want to see us?"

"I was hoping I could borrow Omegamon for a few minutes," DarkKnightmon told him, turning to the white knight.

Omegamon looked at Alphamon. "Do you mind waiting for me?" he asked him.

Alphamon shook his head. "You're free to join us after you two are done talking, DarkKnightmon," he told him, patting the other dark knight on the shoulder as he passed by him.

DarkKnightmon looked over his shoulder at Alphamon as he passed. "Thank you," he said before walking over to Omegamon.

"Yes, DarkKnightmon?" Omegamon asked him curiously.

After he was sure that Alphamon was out of the great hall, DarkKnightmon walked up beside Omegamon and leaned back against the table, holding onto the edges with his black hands. He turned his horned head to look at his comrade. "I was just wondering, Omegamon. How is Alphamon managing?" he asked him.

"Alphamon?" Omegamon asked, blinking in surprise. "Why do you ask that? Is he not feeling well?"

"I mean with the responsibility," DarkKnightmon explained. "It hasn't been easy setting up this order, and Alphamon has been doing the most work out of any of us. I'm concerned that it's too overwhelming for him."

Omegamon turned to face him, folding his arms and thinking. "I wouldn't necessarily say he is overwhelmed..." he answered. "He's been very busy, but so have we all. I'm confident that he'll be okay."

"As long as you're sure," DarkKnightmon spoke, standing up straight. "I'm not doubting him; I just don't want him to overwork himself. You know how he is."

Omegamon smiled at his friend. "Yes, I suppose you're right," he conceded. "It's nice that you're worried about him."

DarkKnightmon shrugged dismissively and began to walk. "He would do the same for us," he replied simply. He stopped in front of Omegamon and looked at him. "Now, shall we join him for lunch?"

The white-armoured knight complied and began to walk with him out of the great hall in order to meet up with Alphamon in the makeshift cafeteria.

* * *

><p>Almost a year later, the Order of the Royal Knights was firmly established. They had performed several forays into the areas that surrounded Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's former territory. Sometimes they intervened in and mediated conflicts, but, mostly, they arrested or destroyed bands of bandits, brigands, and mercenaries. In one instance, they stopped an evil king from invading his neighbours.<p>

The Royal Knights were comfortable in their new role as regional protectors. As their size, prestige and experience grew, they slowly expanded their sphere of influence. There were currently talks between the Royal Knights and many of the surrounding states of combining under the Royal Knights' protection. It was known as the 'Free Area Plan'.

That was what the six Royal Knights were discussing in their meeting.

The six sat around the grey, circular table in the great hall. Alphamon was seated with a large, open scroll in front of him. OuRyuumon, who stood behind him, decided to attend the meeting as well, not wanting to be left out of their discussions.

"These are the list of territories that give their consent to be a part of this project," he explained, rolling up the scroll and handing it to Omegamon for it to be passed around the table.

Magnamon opened up the scroll once it got to him. "It's almost all of them," he said with surprise, looking at all of the names and territories signed in digi-letters.

"They want the protection and the trading benefits," Omegamon said.

"They know about the conditions, right?" Dukemon asked. "Taxes, ruling under our laws, et cetera."

"Yes, it was made clear to them," Alphamon responded. "They still seem enthusiastic about the idea."

"Well, these lands were pretty dangerous before we officially banded together and formed the Order," Dynasmon pointed out.

DarkKnightmon sat quietly as the others talked. He just thought with a veiled frown on his face.

"They'd be idiots not to sign it," OuRyuumon remarked proudly, crossing his arms. "Who wouldn't want our protection?"

Alphamon regarded the question silently as he looked across the table at DarkKnightmon. He couldn't help but notice the look on his face. "DarkKnightmon…" he said. "You've been quiet during this meeting. Is there something you disagree with?"

DarkKnightmon looked up at Alphamon. "Well, actually…" he put forth, although with hesitation.

"What is it?" Omegamon asked, looking over at him curiously.

DarkKnightmon stalled, mulling over his thoughts a little longer. "It's nothing," he insisted dismissively.

"If there's a problem, DarkKnightmon, please, voice your opinion," Alphamon told him. "That's what these meetings are for."

Omegamon nodded. "What's bothering you?" he questioned.

"Well…" DarkKnightmon began, sitting upright and frowning. He looked straight across the table at Alphamon. "Don't you think these measures are a bit… generous, Alphamon?"

"Generous? How so?" Alphamon asked, arching his eyebrow.

"The Digimon of this potential 'Free Area' will pay a tax and supposedly adhere to our laws, and we're supposed to protect them while they still retain their autonomies," DarkKnightmon said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it seems a little naïve."

Alphamon frowned at the last comment. "I don't understand how…"

"Will it really change anything within these territories?" DarkKnightmon asked him. "I understand that we need the tax to finance ourselves for this service we're providing, and, therefore, we need to give something in return, but I don't think that this idea is strong enough."

"What's wrong with it, in your opinion?" Alphamon questioned, willing to hear the knight out.

"I just think it needs a complete overhaul," DarkKnightmon explained. "Evil Digimon work outside of the law, so it wouldn't make a difference if the Free Area existed or not."

"We could keep a closer eye on the Digimon in these territories this way," Alphamon contested.

"Perhaps, but I think that it's too contingent on the Digimon being good. There's too much room for exploitation. What if we end up defending a mayor who's treating the citizens horribly?" DarkKnightmon argued, although in a polite manner.

"We wouldn't let it get to that point," Alphamon responded. "We'll have inspections."

"And if the mayor and his advisors are corrupt and all of the civilians have been scared into silence?" DarkKnightmon contended.

"We will appoint the mayors," the Lord of the Empty Seat told him.

DarkKnightmon frowned. "Why these weak measures?" he inquired. "All of your answers have been to have _somewhat_ higher controls on the states. We should just go all the way and exercise a stronger amount of control over all of them. Allowing them their independence will just result in abuses of power and a higher rate of crime. If we're going to create a Free Area at all, then we need to go further to exert our control over the territories in order to eradicate evil."

Alphamon frowned deeper at these words. "The Digimon in charge of the territories would never agree to those terms. This agreement hinges on the states retaining a fair amount of independence."

"That would just be selfishness on their part," DarkKnightmon insisted, looking at Alphamon intensely. "They want to hold onto their own power, of course. They don't care about evil Digimon unless they're affected directly by them."

Alphamon returned the silent stare. "That's a very cynical outlook you have, DarkKnightmon," he responded. "I don't believe Digimon are that selfish."

DarkKnightmon glanced away and quietly sat back in his seat. "Well… You wanted to hear my opinion…" he told them, somewhat regretful that he had voiced it at all.

"I can understand what you're saying, DarkKnightmon," Omegamon reassured him. "A greater degree of centralisation would theoretically crack down on crime, war, and brigandage, however…"

"However, we can't take away Digimons' freedoms," Dukemon added, looking over at DarkKnightmon.

"I wasn't suggesting that we become their overseers," DarkKnightmon replied, glancing at Dukemon.

"It's a slippery slope," the crimson knight chimed back.

"Yes," Alphamon agreed. "And there's the practical aspect of it. We don't have the resources to do something like that. We're but six Digimon and our whole order is just less than two hundred fifty Digimon. We don't have the means to preside over all of those territories, not that they would ever agree to that. And if they resisted, what would we do? Force our rule upon them? Then we would be as bad as the Digimon who you seek to root out, DarkKnightmon."

"I never said we should do that," DarkKnightmon replied defensively.

"I didn't say you did either," Alphamon explained. "I'm just making a point. Anyways, even if we did have the resources, I wouldn't want to rule over those Digimon. I can agree to stronger checks on the states of the Free Area in order to reduce potential abuses, but nothing more."

"I agree with that," Dukemon said.

"Me too," Magnamon followed up.

"Yeah," Dynasmon added.

OuRyuumon grinned across the table at DarkKnightmon, enjoying seeing the Digimon put in his place. "I agree too."

"Nobody asked you, serpent," DarkKnightmon said to OuRyuumon. OuRyuumon glared at him. The dark knight turned to the Royal Knight who hadn't spoken: Omegamon. "Omegamon? What's your opinion?"

Omegamon frowned and stalled. His blue eyes went from DarkKnightmon to Alphamon, and then back to DarkKnightmon. After thinking about it, he spoke. "I can understand your points, DarkKnightmon, and they make sense, however… I have to agree with Alphamon. I think the best option is the one before us now."

There was a pause, and all eyes were on DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon looked around the table with his usual expressionless face. After a few, tense moments, he sighed. "Very well," he conceded. "I still have my reservations, but… the majority has spoken…"

Alphamon nodded. He then offered DarkKnightmon a warm, conciliatory smile. "Don't think they have gone unnoticed. We just… disagree on this, it seems, old friend."

DarkKnightmon nodded. "…So begins the Free Area," he said diplomatically, although somewhat half-heartedly.

"This calls for a celebration," Dynasmon said, leaning back in his chair and stretching out. He placed his hands behind his horned head. With one eye open, he looked at Dukemon. "Right, Dukemon?"

"I think I can be convinced," Dukemon responded, looking over at him with a smirk.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Magnamon told them.

DarkKnightmon placed his hands on top of the table and pushed himself to his feet. "Are we finished then?" he said, a hint of exasperation lacing his words. "There are some things I'd like to attend to."

"Yes, I suppose we are," Alphamon said, standing to his feet as well.

"Good night, then" DarkKnightmon bid them. He nodded at the Royal Knights and turned around. With his cape flowing behind him, he briskly started making his way out of the great hall.

Alphamon's eyes narrowed with concern. "…Do you think he's upset?" he asked. "Maybe I should go after him…"

"He's a big boy," Dukemon reassured Alphamon, as he stood from his chair. "He certainly doesn't need to be babied."

"I suppose you're right," Alphamon conceded.

OuRyuumon shrugged dismissively. "He sure acts like an overgrown Baby Digimon sometimes."

"Don't be like that, OuRyuumon," Magnamon said, beginning to head down the great hall.

"Like what?" OuRyuumon asked, following him alongside Dukemon and Dynasmon.

"Your usual jerky self?" Dynasmon joked, slapping his back firmly.

OuRyuumon stumbled forwards, nearly tripping over his own stubby legs. "Damnit! Hey!" he growled.

Omegamon watched as the four departed. He turned to Alphamon. "Do you want me to check on DarkKnightmon?" he asked him.

After a moment of thought, Alphamon shook his head. "No. Dukemon's right. I'm sure he's fine. Apart from the bickering with OuRyuumon, he's almost as mature as you are."

Omegamon smirked. "Do you think so?"

Alphamon grinned and put his hand on Omegamon's shoulder, beginning to lead him towards the foyer after the others. "Without a doubt," he dryly said, heading with the others to the cafeteria in order to get some drinks.

Meanwhile, DarkKnightmon stood at the balcony outside of his room, leaning forwards on the railing as he looked out at the peaceful night. "_Could it be that I'm just being too cynical…?_" he asked himself. He closed his eyes and calmly inhaled, taking in the warm, summer air. "_That must be it. I'm sure it will work out like Alphamon hopes. I just need to trust him…_"

* * *

><p><em>A few months later…<em>

"Twin Spear!"

DarkKnightmon's blood red lance ripped through the bandaged body of a Mummymon, tearing him to shreds. As the scraps of bandages fizzled into fragments of data, the dark knight burst through the cloud with silent anger.

"Hellfire!" an Astamon shouted. The well-dressed demon cocked his weapon and unloaded a fountain of bullets from his sub machine gun. The bullets whipped through the air and slammed into DarkKnightmon's armour as he ran.

DarkKnightmon was unaffected. Sparks flew off from all over his body but his armour was thick enough to deflect the bullets. He charged forwards and plunged one side of the Twin Spear deep into the Astamon's chest, enough that it burst out the other side. The Astamon's arms suddenly went slack and he continued firing his gun aimlessly into the ground until it fell from his grasp and burst into data. The demon Digimon was the next to disintegrate.

The Royal Knight swung his spear to the side, flicking the traces of blood from its metal. He let out a breath and took the moment of peace to look around. The other five Royal Knights and OuRyuumon were in combat against a band of raiders. They had been fighting for the past half hour, and the raiders' numbers were dwindling. Each knight faced only one or two Digimon now. They knew that the battle was almost won.

DarkKnightmon turned to the nearest Royal Knight. Dukemon was locked in combat with the tall, skeletal, red form of a SkullSatamon. He blocked the swift, powerful swing of its staff with the Aegis.

"Just drop your weapon and leave!" Dukemon warned him. "This battle's over!"

"Eat crap, tin can!" the SkullSatamon screeched. The SkullSatamon raised his staff up over his head and the yellow orb on its end began to grow brightly. "Nail Bone!"

"Lightning Joust!" Energy swirled around the Gram in Dukemon's right hand like a vortex that culminated in an orb at the tip of the lance. With a fiery yell, he thrust the pike forwards and power exploded through the SkullSatamon's core, reducing him to ashes just as he was about to fire.

Meanwhile, Alphamon and Omegamon stood side by side as three Digimon charged them in a frantic fury. Omegamon raised his Garuru Cannon and Alphamon raised his two palms towards the ExVeemon, the Asuramon, and the Cerberumon charge them.

"It seems like they won't stand down," Alphamon said as he gathered emerald energy inside of his palms.

"I agree," Omegamon answered, the mouth of the cannon on his right arm brimming with icy blue power.

"Fire?" Alphamon asked, taking aim.

"Fire," Omegamon confirmed.

"Digitalize of Soul!"

"Garuru Cannon!"

Green and azure beams burst from their hands and soared across the ground like a gushing torrent. The blasts enveloped the three Digimon and easily reduced them to data particles. Omegamon's cannon leaked cold breath as he lowered it and surveyed the damage in front of them. He confirmed that they were destroyed.

"Stubborn fools… I hate it when they don't surrender," Alphamon said, his hands smoking with green steam.

"OuRyuumon doesn't," Omegamon said, nodding towards the gold dragon in question.

OuRyuumon smirked widely as he clashed swords with a Piedmon. He deftly swung the Gairyu swords, blocking every slash that the clown Digimon tried to make. "Not – rrgh – bad, clown – guhr – face!" he shouted between parries. For somebody who was staving off deadly attacks, he was enjoying himself far too much.

The gold dragon suddenly swerved his long, flexible body to avoid a precise stab. He then lunged off the ground, flying in an unpredictable, circular fashion that suited his body. OuRyuumon circled around the Piedmon and slashed his back with his bladed Gaiba Daimeijin wings. He let out a triumphant laugh and suddenly spun around to cleave his two swords through the demon clown's lanky body.

OuRyuumon gave a wild grin and flew up into the air. "Who's next?!" he demanded excitedly, looking around for his next opponent.

"Nobody," Magnamon called up to him, having just finished Magnum Punch-ing a Volcamon into a tree.

"Yeah, we're all done here," Dynasmon agreed, nudging an unconscious Vikemon with his foot.

OuRyuumon released a disappointed growl and flew down. "And it was just getting good!" he complained upon landing in the dirt. He gathered his swords in one hand and bent down, plucking an oversized leaf from a plant in front of him. He used the leaf like a cloth, wiping the blood from his blades.

The Royal Knights began to gather around his general vicinity. "We didn't come out here for you to entertain yourself, OuRyuumon," DarkKnightmon said with a hint of irritation at the dragon Digimon.

"Yeah, I know that," OuRyuumon retorted, looking over at him. "I can't help it if I like fighting."

"Just so long as you realise that this isn't a game," DarkKnightmon told him, narrowing his enigmatic, gold eyes.

"Hey, I don't need a lecture from _you_," OuRyuumon replied fierily.

"OuRyuumon, don't start," Alphamon told him firmly. He glanced over at the nearby town. "That was the last of the raiders?"

"I'm pretty sure," Dynasmon said.

"Magnamon and I will go check on the townspeople," Dukemon said, nodding to Magnamon and heading towards the town.

"We should start restraining the unconscious ones," Alphamon told the others.

"Omegamon and I can do that," Dynasmon said. Omegamon nodded and took off this Garuru Cannon and Grey Sword.

A troubled, annoyed look grew on DarkKnightmon's face. "This was the third raid in the past two weeks…" he remarked lowly, turning to Alphamon.

Alphamon turned his crimson gaze towards DarkKnightmon. "I suppose you're right."

"Since we created the Free Area, there have been fourteen raids, attacks or invasions that we've had to intervene in," DarkKnightmon continued.

"What's your point?" OuRyuumon asked, walking over and flicking the edge of the metal crest on DarkKnightmon's armour, to create a twanging sound when his claw struck it.

DarkKnightmon ignored the action and turned back to Alphamon. "Evil Digimon are still active. Creating the Free Area has barely made a difference at all. They're just as active as they were before we did that."

"We've defeated every one of them, with the consent of the Free Area's states, and we have the funds to improve our order," Alphamon responded calmly.

"We're just stopping these attacks as they happen," DarkKnightmon argued. "You're not looking at the bigger picture. All we're doing is quelling attacks day-by-day. What we should be doing is looking into the future."

"Looking into the future…" Alphamon mused. "And what do you suggest?"

"We should be stopping evil Digimon before they can even act," the shadowy knight explained.

Omegamon looked over as he tied up the Vikemon raider. "That would be ideal, but it's not so simple in practice."

Alphamon nodded. "He's right. How could we do that?" he asked DarkKnightmon.

"By ruling over the Free Area," DarkKnightmon replied. "If we make it a tightly ordered society, we could stop Digimon before they even act, and discourage future crime and brigandage."

Alphamon frowned deeply as his friend's words. "Ruling…?" he asked. "No, DarkKnightmon. We're the benevolent protectors of this part of the continent. Our job is to root out evil and have only _limited_ control over the Free Area. Nothing more."

"Don't you see, Alphamon?" DarkKnightmon said, more animatedly than usual. "It isn't enough. That strategy isn't working. What we need to be are benevolent rulers. This continent needs strong, centralized control. The Royal Knights need supreme authority over the Free Area. We need to rule with an iron fist to stop more of these raids. It takes shows of strength to dissuade Digimon like these."

"DarkKnightmon, your words are unsettling," Alphamon told him, maintaining a concerned frown. "The Royal Knights are a deterrent force, not tyrants."

"For a deterrent force, we haven't been doing very much deterring," DarkKnightmon quipped, folding his arms.

"Don't be a smartass," OuRyuumon said to him. "Alphamon's right. We're doing fine."

"What do you know about these matters?" DarkKnightmon snapped at him. "All you care about is satiating your bloodlust. It's no wonder you like things as they are; there will be more Digimon for you to kill."

Before OuRyuumon could heatedly respond, Alphamon took DarkKnightmon by the arm and led him away several paces. "DarkKnightmon…" he said with a concerned tone. "What's come over you?"

"I'm frustrated, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon told him with irritation. "We're not making any progress and you won't heed my words. Aren't you supposed to listen to the advice of your friends?"

Alphamon sighed and let go of DarkKnightmon's arm, walking in front of him so that he could look at him directly. "DarkKnightmon, I've taken your words to heart," he assured him. "However, you can't expect me to go along with what you're proposing. I can't just name myself the king of the Free Area. We would lose the good will of the Digimon that we're protecting. In fact, they could even revolt."

"They wouldn't revolt. We're too strong," DarkKnightmon countered.

"So we would be ruling through fear," Alphamon argued. "Is that what you want?"

DarkKnightmon frowned and was silent.

Alphamon's gaze softened and he raised his hand to place it on DarkKnightmon's shoulder, squeezing the armour there. "Look, DarkKnightmon… I understand that it's frustrating. However, I'm sure that what we're doing is the right thing. I'm also sure that it will be effective if we give it some time. This is just a bad patch."

"You can't know that for sure…" DarkKnightmon pensively said, although raising his hand and placing it on top of Alphamon's extended arm.

"No, I can't," Alphamon admitted. "But I believe that I'm right. Don't lose hope, DarkKnightmon."

DarkKnightmon hesitated. After a couple moments, he frowned and nodded uncertainly. "I… hope you're right, Alphamon. But it's hard… I'm struggling to remain optimistic."

"It's not always easy for me, you know," Alphamon reassured him. "That's why it's good to have friends to talk to. OuRyuumon, Omegamon, you… If you still have doubts, rest assured that you can talk to me about them."

"Right…" DarkKnightmon replied apprehensively. He removed his hand from Alphamon's arm and frowned, looking away slightly. "I'll… be fine," he said, although he didn't sound too sure. "Don't worry."

Alphamon smiled and squeezed his shoulder before letting go. "Good," he told him. He gave DarkKnightmon a nod and began to head back to the others.

DarkKnightmon turned, and saw that Dukemon and Magnamon had returned too. He sighed and started following Alphamon back.

OuRyuumon watched as the two returned. He had his arms folded and wore a sour look on his face. The gold dragon looked at Alphamon with an irritated leer. "That looked like a cozy chat…" he said bitterly.

"He just needed some reassurance," Alphamon replied, walking past OuRyuumon and over to the others.

OuRyuumon scoffed and turned his glare towards DarkKnightmon. "Hey, you!" he snarled at him, still angry about what DarkKnightmon had said to him before.

"My apologies, OuRyuumon," DarkKnightmon said to him. "I didn't mean to bite your head off; I was just agitated from the excitement of the battle."

OuRyuumon opened his mouth hastily to retort, but he stopped and blinked in response to the unexpected apology. "O-Oh… Well, don't let it happen again…" he said sheepishly, turning and picking up the Gairyu swords from where he stabbed them into the ground.

Omegamon observed DarkKnightmon carefully. "Is everything alright between you two?" he asked him.

"Yes…" DarkKnightmon answered. "I suppose so."

Omegamon nodded, although he still had his doubts.

Dynasmon grabbed the bicep of the restrained Vikemon and hauled the woolly mammal up. "Let's start hauling these Digimon back to the dungeons before they wake up."

"You can take the light one, Magnamon," Dukemon told him with a playful grin.

"Thanks…"

DarkKnightmon stood there, thinking to himself and staring into space. He reflected on Alphamon's words quietly.

"Hey, DarkKnightmon!" Dynasmon called out to him.

The voice brought DarkKnightmon out of his thoughts and back into awareness. "Yes, Dynasmon?" he asked, looking over at the dragon man.

"Want to help me with this guy?" he asked, gesturing to the Vikemon. "I may be strong, but he weighs a tonne!"

"Oh… Sure," he responded uncertainly. He walked over and helped Dynasmon, and the group of knights began to head back to their castle.


	22. Chapter 15 Part 2: The Immortal Champion

(Author's Notes: Here's the second of the three parts of this chapter. I couldn't fit the whole chapter title in the chapter list, so I had to switch from Roman numerals to the tacky Arabic numbering system because it was one less character. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! I'll have the final part up in a few days.)

**Chapter 15: The Immortal Champion (Part II)**

Another month passed…

DarkKnightmon strode through the castle grounds in the late evening. The sky overhead was a deep blue colour thanks to the night beginning to set in. Most of the Digimon around the headquarters ended their duties and enjoyed their free time, unless they were unlucky enough to have the night shift.

He was in his free time as well. However, DarkKnightmon didn't feel like spending it with his fellow Royal Knights right at that moment. Instead, he walked through the spacious training ground within the castle walls. It was largely deserted aside from a few members of the Order who were out practicing their attacks or working out.

One of these Digimon was MirageGaogamon. DarkKnightmon recognized the Captain of the Defence Forces in the center of the grounds. He seemed to be practicing one of his attacks, judging by the glowing yellow particles that lighted up the darkening area as they accumulated around his chest.

"Full Moon Blaster!" he howled. The wolf head that was a part of his chest armour snapped open and fired a brilliant beam from its maw. The light streaked through the air like a comet and annihilated a target dummy before fading away shortly after. When the beam faded, the target was badly scorched and its digital integrity was badly compromised, causing it to burst into data.

DarkKnightmon was intrigued, seeing him out here that late. He made his way over. "MirageGaogamon," he spoke from a distance, announcing his presence as per the safety rules of the training grounds.

MirageGaogamon looked over his shoulder curiously. Some steam still wafted up from his chest cannon, but he closed the 'mouth' on his chest and signalled that it was clear for DarkKnightmon to come over. As the Royal Knight approached, MirageGaogamon looked at him sheepishly. "I apologize, Sir," he told him. "I know the training grounds close at sundown, but I hoped I could get in some precision training before it got dark."

DarkKnightmon approached him and dismissively waved his hand. "No, I'm not here about that. I'm just surprised to see you here. That's all."

"Oh…" MirageGaogamon said, lowering his guard in a wave of relief. "I see. Still, the safety precautions…"

"I'm sure you would have stopped soon," DarkKnightmon answered. He observed the wolf warrior with a raised brow. "You're awfully dedicated, Captain."

"I try to be," MirageGaogamon replied with a slight smile. He removed his claw gauntlets and tucked them under his arm. "I believe in what this Order aims to achieve, so I want to be at my very best, Sir."

DarkKnightmon stopped to contemplate his words. "…Commendable," DarkKnightmon spoke. "You're a regular crusader, aren't you?"

MirageGaogamon released a small, embarrassed smile. "I don't know about that…" he humbly replied. "I'm just following what my heart tells me is right and just."

"And… what happens when your heart conflicts with your head?" DarkKnightmon cryptically questioned, eyeing the blue, wolf knight curiously.

MirageGaogamon frowned and looked at him for clarification. "Sir…?" he asked, confused at what exactly he meant.

The black knight caught himself and shook his head. "Forget about it…" he told him dismissively. DarkKnightmon placed his hand on MirageGaogamon's multi-plated shoulder. "Care to walk with me? I was on my way to the ramparts to enjoy the sunset."

"Sure," the captain agreed.

He walked alongside DarkKnightmon as they made their way from the training grounds over to the thick wall. They approached some stairs built beside the wall, behind the forge, where all the weapons were serviced. DarkKnightmon ascended the stone staircase up to the top of the wall, and MirageGaogamon followed after him.

Once on the top of the battlements, DarkKnightmon walked to the parapets and leaned forwards on one of the sturdy blocks. He gazed out onto the dark landscape, and he could just see a trace of the sun on the distant horizon. It made the sky appear slightly bluer in contrast to the black behind him. MirageGaogamon came up beside him and looked up at the partial moon above them.

"It's nice," MirageGaogamon commented to him, glancing over.

"Indeed. Alphamon and I used to come out here to talk," DarkKnightmon explained.

MirageGaogamon couldn't help but notice the past tense. "You don't anymore?" he asked. He then felt somewhat apprehensive, as if he had just spoken out of turn for asking too personal of a question. He was about to apologize but DarkKnightmon spoke first.

"No, we don't," he admitted. "I find myself disagreeing with him a lot, these days. I feel that it's better if I keep my distance."

"Why is that, if you don't mind my asking?" the caped canine Digimon inquired.

DarkKnightmon stalled on answering. "…Can I ask you a question instead, Captain?" he wondered, turning away from the disappearing sun to look at MirageGaogamon.

"Of course, Sir."

"Why exactly did you join the Order?" the Royal Knight questioned, his curious gaze fixed on the lupine Digimon's face.

MirageGaogamon's face seemed to tense. He hesitated and tore his gaze away from DarkKnightmon to look back up at the moon. "Do you want to know the honest answer…?" he asked, his voice sounding suddenly more dark and solemn.

"If you don't mind telling me, that is," DarkKnightmon replied.

The wolf Digimon's eyes glistened in the moonlight before he shut them. "Half of my family were killed by marauders," he told DarkKnightmon. He raised his free hand and clenched it after placing it on the stone parapet. "What I want is to purge the world of evil Digimon so that tragedies like that won't take place again."

"I see…" DarkKnightmon said calmly. "I understand your feelings. I want to eradicate evil Digimon from this world as well."

MirageGaogamon opened his eyes and looked at DarkKnightmon with a grateful smile. "I'm glad to hear that, Sir."

DarkKnightmon turned away from the sun and stood under the shroud of the night and the soft rays of the moon. "However, I find myself faced with countless doubts." With a steely gaze, he looked back towards the castle. "I doubt our capabilities… I doubt my friends… and I doubt myself."

"Sir?" MirageGaogamon asked with concern.

"I feel like we're headed in the wrong direction," DarkKnightmon explained. "Alphamon's too soft; he's afraid of doing something that Digimon won't like. He's always been too concerned about his public image…"

"Is that so?" the captain asked.

"In my opinion, yes…" DarkKnightmon said. "He disagrees with my approach on how the Order should operate. I believe that the Royal Knights should go as far as to be the rulers of the Free Area. That way we could use our tightened sphere of influence to root out evil Digimon before they can even act. The way we function now, we're just knocking them down as soon as they attack. More innocent lives are risked that way."

"I agree with you, DarkKnightmon, Sir," MirageGaogamon said. "However, I can see how Alphamon would be cautious about that. It's an ambitious step and it goes against the agreement."

"I know," DarkKnightmon answered deeply. "But what's that expression? 'In order to free yourself from your Digiegg, you must first shatter the shell'?"

"I suppose there's that argument," the beast knight submitted. He turned around and leaned back against the parapet. "I do agree that a greater amount of control is necessary. However…"

"However the majority agrees with Alphamon?" DarkKnightmon suggested. He frowned and turned around as well so that he could glance up at the moon. "Yes, I know… I understand why, too. Nevertheless, it feels like the path we're on is doomed to lead us to failure. They don't understand that! _Why_ don't they understand? Are they blinded by their idealism?"

"Do you think the situation is that dire, Sir?" MirageGaogamon questioned.

"Now? Maybe not. However, I'm looking into the future. How long until another Lucemon emerges? Or something even worse?" he mused, his calm voice masking the intensity behind it.

"Hopefully never…" MirageGaogamon replied with a wince.

"Yes, hopefully. However, the Royal Knights are a security force. We need to prepare for the worst case scenario. If we want to prevent something like that from happening, we need to drastically increase our control in the Free Area. Then, as the Order grows larger, we can expand to other parts of the continent," DarkKnightmon explained.

"I agree with that, Sir," the azure wolf knight spoke. "However, I'm not sure that Alphamon and the other Royal Knights would."

DarkKnightmon sighed. "There lies the problem…" he said softly, with an air of frustration. "Alphamon is stubborn. Omegamon, Magnamon, and Dynasmon are all loyal to him. Dukemon is his own Digimon, but I don't think he would agree with me; he's soft too."

"I see…" MirageGaogamon said thoughtfully.

"However, I believe that Omegamon is sympathetic to my ideas," DarkKnightmon said. "Perhaps the others could be convinced if somebody else was the Lord of the Empty Seat instead of Alphamon."

"Like yourself," the captain suggested, feeling at ease with DarkKnightmon. "I have nothing against Alphamon, but I believe that your ideals are more in line with what this Order needs. I support you, DarkKnightmon."

DarkKnightmon nodded gratefully at him. "I appreciate that, Captain."

"Are there provisions for removing the Lord of the Empty Seat?" MirageGaogamon asked.

"No. There's nothing official," the shadowy knight replied. "Imperialdramon Paladin Mode trusts Alphamon fully. It would have looked bad if he made provisions for unseating him."

"I see…" MirageGaogamon spoke, frowning deeply. "What… do you suggest?" he asked apprehensively.

"I'm not suggesting anything," DarkKnightmon answered. "Not yet. I certainly don't want to hurt him or anything like that, but I don't think that he should remain in power. I'll have to consider all of my options."

"I understand, Sir."

DarkKnightmon nodded. "I'll try talking to the other knights. I want to be able to have their support."

"They won't tell Alphamon?" MirageGaogamon asked.

"I'm hoping things will play out in a way that they won't want to tell Alphamon… or at least feel that they don't need to," he explained. DarkKnightmon looked over at MirageGaogamon with calm, gold eyes. "Needless to say, it's probably best if you and I keep this conversation a secret…"

"Understood," the MirageGaogamon captain said, tapping the side of his snout with his index finger.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called out over to DarkKnightmon's side.

DarkKnightmon swung around with surprise and saw OuRyuumon descend through the night sky towards them, blotting out the moon from their vision as he passed in front of it. He felt himself tense up as the dragon Captain of the Strike Forces closed in on them.

OuRyuumon landed on the wall and stumbled slightly on his short legs, but he quickly moved his tail to balance himself. The long, gold dragon walked towards them unevenly. "I _thought_ I'd find you here…" he said, his words somewhat slurred.

"OuRyuumon?" DarkKnightmon asked, trying to remain calm. "What can I do for you?"

MirageGaogamon looked at OuRyuumon carefully and took a few sniffs with his sensitive nose. "…Are you drunk, OuRyuumon?" MirageGaogamon asked, frowning. "You shouldn't be flying while intoxicated."

"This is between me an' _him_ MirageGaomon…" OuRyuumon said, swinging his hand out.

DarkKnightmon looked over at MirageGaogamon, who turned to him in concern. "It's alright, Captain. I'll talk to him and make sure that he gets to his room," he reassured him.

"Very well, Sir…" MirageGaogamon apprehensive replied. He nodded at DarkKnightmon and jumped off the wall to fly towards the castle.

DarkKnightmon stepped towards OuRyuumon. As he approached, he could smell the pungent scent of ale on his breath. "You're drunk, OuRyuumon…"

"So what if I am?" OuRyuumon retorted. "Can't the Captain of the Strike Force get drunk in his free time?"

"I suppose, but-"

"It's my turn to ask the questions!" OuRyuumon announced sharply, looking down at DarkKnightmon and poking his broad chest with his clawed finger.

"Very well," DarkKnightmon answered, keeping his cool, although inwardly he was rather nervous. He knew that his and OuRyuumon's relationship had some definite tension, and he didn't want to get on the dragon's bad side without finding out what he might have heard, so he figured he'd humour him. "Ask away."

"I know what you're up to…" OuRyuumon hissed, narrowing his sharp, violet eyes into slits.

The nervousness that DarkKnightmon felt began to amplify. Did OuRyuumon really hear the whole conversation? He knew that if OuRyuumon knew, he would tell Alphamon without any hesitation. He already began to think of how he could use OuRyuumon's inebriated condition to discredit him. "I don't know what you mean," DarkKnightmon insisted.

"Like hell ya don't!" OuRyuumon slurred angrily. "You're tryin' to take Alphamon away!"

DarkKnightmon froze. All of his muscles tensed up, with the exception of his heart, which felt like it suddenly dropped in his chest. "What…?" he asked, in a last ditch effort to maintain his innocence. "I would never do something like that. He's my friend!"

"Only yer friend? Really?" OuRyuumon interrogated indignantly, glaring at him even harder. "I've seen th'way you look at 'im… He can do better than you and you know it, so back off! You're just a conde… condescending tin can!"

Now DarkKnightmon was just confused. His fear quickly turned into pure bewilderment at the dragon's drunken words. "…Pardon?"

OuRyuumon growled and raised his hand to rub the bridge of his snout, suddenly grimacing. "Nevermind… Jus' forget it," he told him. "What were you talking to th'wolf about?" he questioned more calmly, hoping to change the subject.

"He… was wondering if there was merit to the rumour that Magnamon can't swim," DarkKnightmon replied, saying the first viable thing that came to mind. On second and third thoughts, he decided it wasn't all that viable, but he hoped OuRyuumon was too intoxicated to question it. He was just relieved that OuRyuumon hadn't been listening in on them like he initially thought.

"Gossips…" OuRyuumon said resentfully, moving his hand and placing it on DarkKnightmon's shoulder. "Y'know, it's totally true. He never goes in the ocean."

DarkKnightmon took OuRyuumon's wrist and gently slung his arm over DarkKnightmon's back. He kept a hold on OuRyuumon's wrist and began to usher him towards one of the stone bridges that led from the wall into the main building. "Come on. Let's get you to your room," the armoured Digimon told him while leading him along.

"Fine…" OuRyuumon mumbled, too out of it to bother protesting. He lazily hobbled beside DarkKnightmon, letting himself be taken by the knight. "Grugh… DarkKnightmon…?" he asked, looking over at the Royal Knight.

"Yes, OuRyuumon?" DarkKnightmon asked superficially, keeping a tight hold on him as they crossed the bridge so that OuRyuumon wouldn't end up accidentally falling.

"You're my _best_ friend…" OuRyuumon drunkenly said, his smile toothy and lopsided.

"I thought Alphamon was your best friend," DarkKnightmon responded, bringing him indoors to a torch-lit hallway.

OuRyuumon suddenly groaned dramatically. "Ugh… He wouldn't be if he knew…" he said miserably, breaking away from DarkKnightmon and walking ahead.

"Knew what?" DarkKnightmon asked out of passing curiosity.

"Can't tell… It'd ruin ev'rything…" OuRyuumon replied in a maudlin voice.

The Royal Knight sighed and shook his head. He didn't know what to make of the dragon's drunken ramblings. He wasn't overly concerned about them anyways; he was just happy that OuRyuumon was blissfully ignorant of his conspiracy to create a peaceful change of leaders. Things would have gotten extremely difficult for him if he had found out.

"Come on. Your room is here," DarkKnightmon said, pointing to the door in front of him.

OuRyuumon staggered over to him. "Mrm. Thanks, buddy," he said to him, patting DarkKnightmon's face with his claws. "I know you and I and you don't always get along, but you're okay when you wanta be…"

"Err…" DarkKnightmon hesitated. He took OuRyuumon's wrist and removed his hand from his face. "Thank you… Now, go and rest, OuRyuumon."

"Alright…" OuRyuumon responded, making his way into his room so that he could plop down on his bed. "Night, night, Knight…"

"Goodnight, Captain," DarkKnightmon said to him, closing OuRyuumon's door for him. He let out a sigh and began walking down the corridor to his own room.

"_That was unnerving…_" he thought to himself as he entered his room.

He began to unfasten his chest armour. Once it was removed, DarkKnightmon walked over to his balcony window and stared out. He looked up at the moon and watched as a cloud finished passing over it. He frowned and leaned against the stone window sill.

"_I have much that I need to do…_" he quietly mused. "_I need to steer this Order in the right direction for the good of the Digital World. If it means hurting a friend… well… I suppose it has to be done. I hope you won't take it personally, Alphamon…"_

* * *

><p>About a week later, DarkKnightmon went to work on trying to convince the other Royal Knights to unseat Alphamon. He had planned his arguments meticulously, and he hoped that they would be enough to convince his comrades to accept the drastic change of command. He knew it wouldn't be an easy battle, aware of how loyal the Royal Knights were, however, he was confident in himself.<p>

It was a cloudy evening out. There were two full moons out in the starry sky. However, multiple clouds passed over them intermittently, causing their reflected light to beam down irregularly. It created a mix of dim, blue light interspersed with dark shadows over the castle grounds.

DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon walked outside, passing underneath one of the watch towers. Barely any Digimon were out on the grounds that night, with the exception of the guards manning the walls, gate, and towers.

"So, you're going to start talking to them tonight, Sir?" MirageGaogamon asked him, feeling very comfortable that they could talk freely without being overheard.

"Yes," DarkKnightmon replied with a soft frown. "There's no point in waiting any longer. I've put up with this for long enough. This Order needs a change."

"I agree," MirageGaogamon answered. "You think you can convince the other Royal Knights to turn against Alphamon?"

"I believe it's possible," the dark knight said to his cohort with a faint smile behind his helmet.

MirageGaogamon thought quietly for a few moments. The only sound that could be heard was the rattling of their armour. "For the sake of argument… What happens if you can't?"

"Then we'll have entertain other options," DarkKnightmon cryptically replied.

"I see," MirageGaogamon spoke, continuing to walk beside him. He looked over at the Royal Knight. "I'm going to take my claws to the forge to be serviced. Please let me know how things go. Good luck, Sir."

"Thank you," DarkKnightmon told him with a nod.

The two Digimon went their separate ways. MirageGaogamon crossed the road to the forge by the wall, and DarkKnightmon continued heading down the path to the main building's entrance. He assumed most of the Royal Knights were inside, but he hoped that they weren't all together. He thought it would be better if he talked to them individually.

DarkKnightmon approached the entrance and placed his hand on the door, pushing it open. He hoped that everything would go as planned. He needed it to…

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of searching, DarkKnightmon found Dukemon in the gym. The shirtless Royal Knight was on the floor, doing push ups. Much to DarkKnightmon's annoyance, Zero ARMS: Grani was with him, spotting him. He supposed he should have expected it, given how close the two were, but it still caused problems because it's easier for somebody to stand their ground when with a group of friends.<p>

On the other hand, DarkKnightmon also saw an opportunity. Grani was more rational while Dukemon was more emotional. He thought it might be easier to use his rational arguments to convince Grani than it would be to convince Dukemon, and Grani could, in turn, convince Dukemon. He figured it was worth a try.

"Hello, Dukemon, Grani," DarkKnightmon greeted as he stepped into the marble-floored gym.

" Ninety six, ninety seve- DarkKnightmon," Grani said, looking over at him to acknowledge him.

Dukemon pushed himself up a final time and got to his knees so that he could begin to stand up. Once up, he grabbed a towel and draped it over his sweaty neck. "Hey," Dukemon greeted with a grin, panting a bit. "Here for a work out?"

"I was looking for you, actually," the dark Royal Knight explained.

"Oh, sure," Dukemon said, walking over to the bench nearby to sit down. "What's up?"

"Well… I was wondering…" he began tactfully. "How do you both feel about Alphamon?"

"Alphamon…?" Grani asked. The large, metal dragon eyed him carefully.

"Feel about Alphamon?" Dukemon questioned, somewhat puzzled by the question as well. "He's great. Why do you ask?"

"You don't feel that he's lacking in certain areas…?" DarkKnightmon asked.

"Lacking…? Not really," Dukemon responded, frowning. He raised an eyebrow at DarkKnightmon. "Do you?"

DarkKnightmon sidestepped the question and turned to Grani. "I'm just a bit worried about the Order. It feels like we haven't been making any progress. There are still plenty of attacks and raids on this half of the continent."

"And you're saying that's Alphamon's fault?" Dukemon directly challenged.

"Of course not. I'm just thinking that what the Order needs is to go in a… different direction," he explained.

"What direction might that be?" Grani asked him suspiciously.

"I think that we need to have greater control over the Free Area. We'll be able to prevent more Digimon from getting hurt that way," he calmly responded.

"So, talk to Alphamon about it," Dukemon said to him.

"I've tried. He won't listen," DarkKnightmon told the holy knight Digimon.

Dukemon folded his arms across his scaled chest. "Because he knows it's a bad idea," the crimson knight told him sharply.

DarkKnightmon's eyes narrowed. He could already tell that Dukemon was beginning to turn away from him. He turned to Grani. "I believe that I can run the Royal Knights more efficiently than Alphamon can. We'll be able to do our jobs better and help more innocent Digimon. Is that not why we agreed to found this Order together?" he asked them both.

Grani frowned and glanced over at Dukemon. "It is, however…"

"However," Dukemon interrupted. "Alphamon's a good leader. You just don't like the way that he's doing things. Don't mince words, DarkKnightmon. What are you here to say?" The red Royal Knight narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That you want to take over Alphamon's position?"

DarkKnightmon stalled. After a few seconds of thought, he nodded. "I do… I know he's a good leader, but he's too soft. He's lacking certain qualities that make him a _great_ leader."

"It's that 'softness' that makes him a great leader," Dukemon insisted, frowning deeply. "I'm not about to raise a single finger against him."

"I don't plan to dismiss him from the order or anything, Dukemon," DarkKnightmon assured him, frowning as well. "I simply think that I'm better suited to being Lord of the Empty Seat. I still count him as a friend and a comrade."

"If you were his friend, you wouldn't be conspiring to unseat him," Dukemon fierily answered.

DarkKnightmon's gaze became steely. "Sometimes, Dukemon, you have to look past friendship for the sake of the world," he explained.

"So, I guess I know where you'd stand if the Digital Hazard ever got the better of me," the crimson knight spoke, a twinge of melancholy mixed in with his outrage.

DarkKnightmon grimaced and looked away. "Don't make this personal, Dukemon. And don't put words in my mouth," he told him. "It's because you're my friend that I'm coming here to ask this of you. Support me, Dukemon. Stand beside me, like the many times that we've fought together in battle."

Dukemon frowned and looked down. "I… can't, DarkKnightmon," he said apologetically. "Alphamon's my friend too. This is one battle I can't fight with you."

DarkKnightmon gritted his teeth. "Very well…" he replied, only barely covering his anger and disappointment. He turned to Grani next. "Grani…? What's your opinion?" he asked.

"…My apologies, DarkKnightmon," Grani told him tranquilly. "I believe that a radical change like the one you're suggesting would be detrimental to the Royal Knights. And, on a personal note, Alphamon has been good to me. Perhaps talking to Alphamon about your grievances would be a more productive course of action."

The shadowy Royal Knight's gaze became hard. He spun around, his dark cape twisting slightly as he turned. "Forget it," he said lowly.

Without another word, DarkKnightmon left the gym in a foul temperament.

* * *

><p>DarkKnightmon stormed through the castle grounds with a severe sneer on his face. Not only had Dukemon and Grani denied him, but Magnamon and Dynasmon refused to support him as well. He had tried to talk to the two Royal Knights, but they wouldn't even consider the idea.<p>

Magnamon had diplomatically said, "I'm really sorry, DarkKnightmon, but I can't get behind you on that. I'm sure you would be a good leader as well, but Imperialdramon Paladin Mode entrusted the Seat to Alphamon, and I believe in his decision."

Dynasmon, on the other hand, was far blunter. "Are you insane?! Do you really think I'd betray Alphamon like that?! Where the hell did this come from, DarkKnightmon? What happened to you?" he had responded.

He appreciated that they agreed not to tell Alphamon about what he proposed, but that did little to console the shadowy Royal Knight. He felt betrayed and ignored. Three of the five Royal Knights wouldn't support him. That meant he lost the majority he was hoping on getting. On retrospection, he was hardly surprised. Magnamon and Dynasmon had always been extremely loyal to Alphamon. He also knew that Dukemon was a heavy advocate of free will. He felt like those battles had been decided before they ever begun.

His only chance left was finding an ally in Omegamon. Omegamon had always been sympathetic to his ideas. He said that he understood DarkKnightmon's point of view where none of the others had. DarkKnightmon held onto that white hope. If he could get Omegamon on his side, then it wouldn't just be a lone, dissenting voice against all of the others. It would give his argument legitimacy, and it might even sway the other Royal Knights. He hoped that it might even make Alphamon step down on his own, seeing two of his friends speaking out against him.

DarkKnightmon clenched his fists as he walked through the dark towards the castle gardens. He marched with resentful determination to find the white knight. The gardens were where he was told Omegamon was.

He walked down a path surrounded by green grass that was barely visible in the darkness of the night. Only when one of the moons reappeared from behind the clouds did he see the dull shimmer of the blades of grass. That same moonlight cast an eerie sheen on his features. It made the skull on his chest armour shimmer fearsomely.

The Royal Knight saw Omegamon in the distance, walking down the path in the opposite direction. He was flanked by patches of red and blue flowers. As soon as DarkKnightmon saw him, he increased his pace, heading towards him.

"Omegamon," he hailed, putting a damper on his agitated emotions in anticipation for their talk.

"DarkKnightmon?" Omegamon curiously said, walking up to him. "What brings you here?"

"I was looking for you," DarkKnightmon explained, stopping in front of him.

"Oh. I was just stretching my legs," Omegamon answered. "What can I do for you?"

"You value our bond as Royal Knights, do you not?" the black armoured knight asked him, looking right into Omegamon's eyes.

The Royal Knight was taken aback and surprised. He blinked, confused, and wondered what this was about. "Yes…? Of course. DarkKnightmon?" he questioned, trying to deduce what would make him ask something like that.

"And you agree with me that the Free Area requires the control of the Royal Knights in order to prosper?" DarkKnightmon followed up. "You have agreed that greater security would better reduce crime."

Omegamon slowly began to frown. He started to realize where this was going. "DarkKnightmon… What are you trying to say…?" he asked him apprehensively.

"I want your help, Omegamon. I need it," DarkKnightmon explained, his voice laced with fervour. "No… Not just me. The Digital World needs your help."

"What is it that you need help with?" the white knight inquired, frowning suspiciously.

"I… believe that Alphamon is unfit for the role of Lord of the Empty Seat," DarkKnightmon told him.

Omegamon quietly stared at him. DarkKnightmon went silent, seeing if Omegamon would respond. For awhile, the two just stared at each other.

"And you want to take over," Omegamon deduced, breaking the tense silence.

"Only because I recognize the potential of the Royal Knights. What we could do if we weren't so concerned about how everybody would react…." DarkKnightmon explained with a calm zeal, his eyes staring into Omegamon's. "Alphamon's weak, Omegamon. Don't you see that? He doesn't have what it takes to take this Order to its full potential."

"That is your opinion, DarkKnightmon," Omegamon responded. He reached out and placed his hand on DarkKnightmon's shoulder. "I said that I understood your ideals…" he squeezed his shoulder and then slid his hand off. "However, I didn't say that I supported them…"

DarkKnightmon's eyes slowly narrowed into an incredulous glare. "What…?"

"I'm sorry, DarkKnightmon. I respect your opinion, but I won't support you if you hope to unseat Alphamon. There are no grounds for it," Omegamon told him. "If you want, I can tell him about your grievances, but-"

"I don't want your blasted pity!" DarkKnightmon snapped, reaching out suddenly and grabbing Omegamon by the collar. Omegamon reacted in surprise and grabbed DarkKnightmon's wrist. The shadowy Royal Knight glared at his comrade darkly. "You're all blinded by him! What is it about Alphamon that deceives you so much?!" DarkKnightmon let go of Omegamon and sharply withdrew his hand. "You're willing to let the evil Digimon of the world run rampant all for the sake of your pathetic friendship?"

"D-DarkKnightmon," Omegamon stammered in shock at his uncharacteristic outburst. "What's gotten into you…?"

DarkKnightmon glared at him. "I've had enough, Omegamon. Enough waiting… enough hoping… I kept fooling myself into thinking things would change… or that my opinions would actually be noticed. but those hopes have been stomped down again and again. None of you are willing to change." He turned around. "I will have to change things for you all."

"DarkKnightmon… What are you talking about?" Omegamon asked, watching as DarkKnightmon started to head out of the castle gardens. Omegamon frowned and made sure to follow him. "Wait for a moment!"

DarkKnightmon ignored the white knight's plea. He stormed out of the garden and walked down the cobbled road towards the main building of the headquarters. His eyes were locked in an irritated glare.

Underneath the surface, DarkKnightmon was seething. Even Omegamon refused him. Was what he was saying so unreasonable? Or was it that they viewed him as lesser than Alphamon? Was their bonds with him worth less than their bonds with Alphamon? Why was he constantly being refused?

These thoughts swirled around in his head, making him grow more and more angry. He was frustrated at them for not seeing sense, and he was frustrated at himself for not being able to convince them. His impatience and dissatisfaction was at a breaking point. He knew what he had to do if he wanted to see through his goals.

DarkKnightmon burst through the front entrance, nearly knocking the doors off their hinges. He steamed up the hallway and across the foyer. As the Royal Knight entered the great hall, he saw Alphamon, Dukemon, Dynasmon, Magnamon, OuRyuumon and Grani all standing behind the round council table, talking.

OuRyuumon was the first to notice DarkKnightmon striding down the hall. The gold dragon sneered and glared the very sight of him. "There's the two-faced, little traitor…" he hissed.

DarkKnightmon's eyes narrowed. He looked around at the Royal Knights. "It didn't take you three long, did it? Who was the first to come crawling here with what I told you?" he asked darkly.

Dukemon's eyes narrowed and he stepped forwards. "I did," he told him defiantly. "The other two only spoke up because I mentioned it first."

"So principled, Dukemon," DarkKnightmon sarcastically declared as he made his way halfway down the hall. "It _couldn't_ be that you're overcompensating in case, one day, you accidentally run amok thanks to the Digital Hazard."

"What?!" Dukemon demanded incredulously, he made a move towards DarkKnightmon with anger.

Alphamon placed a hand on Dukemon's shoulder, holding him back. The Lord of the Empty Seat walked forwards instead. "Enough, DarkKnightmon…"

"You don't get to say that, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon told him, narrowing his eyes. He reached into the air, and, in a burst of darkness, summoned the Twin Spear in his right hand. "_I've_ had enough."

Upon seeing the drawn weapon, OuRyuumon immediately drew his scimitars. Although surprised, Alphamon outstretched his arm in front of OuRyuumon to keep him from acting.

"DarkKnightmon, what is this?" Alphamon asked, frowning deeply at the Royal Knight.

"Fight me," DarkKnightmon demanded in a tranquil, yet unwavering voice.

"What are you talking about, DarkKnightmon?" Magnamon asked.

"None of you need concern yourselves," DarkKnightmon told them firmly. "This is between Alphamon and myself." His eyes remained fixed on Alphamon. "Fight me, for the leadership of the Royal Knights."

Alphamon's gaze softened. "DarkKnightmon… Go get some rest. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

The knight's gold eyes narrowed. "Do not treat me like a child."

"Then stop throwing a tantrum like one," OuRyuumon growled at him, gripping the hilts of the Gairyu swords tightly.

"Hold that forked tongue of yours for once in your life," DarkKnightmon snapped at him impatiently. He continued looking at the leader of the Royal Knights. "Fight me, and hold back at your own peril."

"I am not going to fight you, DarkKnightmon," Alphamon told him diplomatically.

Omegamon walked into the great hall to see DarkKnightmon standing with his Twin Spear drawn. "DarkKnightmon, stop this!"

"I'll stop when one of us is underneath the other's boot," DarkKnightmon forcefully insisted. He glared at Alphamon. "Fight. Me."

Alphamon sighed and looked at DarkKnightmon with a sad but stubborn stare. "No… I refuse to fight you."

DarkKnightmon couldn't help but smirk. "Just like usual… You don't have the courage to act when it matters."

DarkKnightmon suddenly gripped the middle of his lance and broke into a full sprint. He jumped onto the table, planted his metal boot into the stone, and bounded off it. He lunged towards Alphamon and brought his Twin Spear down towards him in a vertical slash. "On your guard!"

Alphamon's eyes widened and he recoiled. An intense, radiant light swelled in his hand and grew into the shape of a sword. On instinct, Alphamon raised his holy sword, the Seiken Gradalpha, and blocked DarkKnightmon's Twin Spear with it.

"DarkKnightmon!" he protested, shocked by the obdurate attack.

"Alphamon!" OuRyuumon shouted, gripping his swords and making to intervene. He growled with anger when Dynasmon grabbed his shoulders and stopped him from attacking DarkKnightmon.

"Don't get involved, OuRyuumon," Dynasmon told him, although watching with a restless glare. "They need to sort this out. I think DarkKnightmon needs to get this out of his system."

"Yeah…" Magnamon said, although uncertain and worried. "I doubt DarkKnightmon really plans to hurt him…"

"He's attacking him with a weapon, moron!" OuRyuumon barked, struggling against Dynasmon's hold.

"Alphamon can handle himself," Dukemon said, backing away as the two knight clashed swords. "And if they get too carried away, we'll jump in."

OuRyuumon reluctantly settled down, slackening his muscles and struggling less. "Fine… but DarkKnightmon already looks pretty carried away to me."

Omegamon jogged over to the other Royal Knights and watched the fight nervously. It disturbed him to see the two fighting as they were. He wondered if it would just be better to restrain DarkKnightmon and wait for him to cool down. However, then he wondered if it would be that easy; these feelings seemed to have been brewing for awhile.

DarkKnightmon broke his clash with Alphamon, withdrawing the Twin Spear and spinning it around in his hand so he could thrust the opposite point towards the knight's armour.

Alphamon nimbly pivoted so that the edge of the lance merely slid against his armour. He rushed forwards and slammed his shoulder into DarkKnightmon. The ramming movement was strong enough to force DarkKnightmon back several steps, but he quickly recovered and crossed his Twin Spear in front of him.

"I don't want to fight you!" Alphamon shouted in agitation.

"Then forfeit your seat," DarkKnightmon told him, levelling his gaze with the black knight.

Alphamon winced, already knowing what his answer would have to be. "I can't do that. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode entrusted the Siege Perilous to me."

"Then there's nothing left to say," the knight replied. He placed both of his hands on the shaft of the Twin Spear and released a sharp breath. He glared at Alphamon and readied himself for combat after having been spurned again. "We duel for the title. Zero attacks. The first one to neutralize the other wins the Seat."

Alphamon glowered with frustration at the situation. His large, black fingers curled around the hilt of his sword of light. "Very well," he reluctantly complied. He placed his free hand on top of his other one, gripping the Seiken Gradalpha firmly and holding it out in front of him. "But remember, I didn't want this."

"Confident, aren't you?" DarkKnightmon asked, keeping his eyes on Alphamon's sword so that he could get used to its bright glow. He repositioned his feet to take on a more effective fighting stance.

"Kick his ass, Alphamon!" OuRyuumon called out from the side.

Alphamon didn't acknowledge the cheer. Instead, he was focused on DarkKnightmon. He took a step forwards, making to move.

As soon as he moved, DarkKnightmon charged him. He bounded across the marble floor and swung his spear horizontally towards Alphamon. Alphamon saw this and swung the Seiken Gradalpha to block it. However, DarkKnightmon expected this. He suddenly flipped his hand over, spinning the lance in a half rotation, and darted to the left. He stabbed the other end of the Twin Spear forwards, evading Alphamon's block.

Alphamon saw the feint and tried to move to avoid it, but there was too little distance between them. The tip of the spear collided with Alphamon's chest armour and tore across it with an awful, metal screech. The force of the blow sent the Lord of the Empty Seat staggering back, but he ignored the throbbing pressure on his skin and counterattacked.

While DarkKnightmon's spear was still extended, Alphamon twirled his holy sword in his hand and held it out horizontally. He ran forwards and passed by DarkKnightmon, slamming the side of his sword into DarkKnightmon's chest.

DarkKnightmon felt the Seiken Gradalpha's hot pressure pound his upper body and send him stumbling in reverse. Grunting in pain, DarkKnightmon swung his arm out in a wide arc and he bashed the thick, metal side of the Twin Spear across Alphamon's face.

The other Royal Knights watched tensely as the fight took place. OuRyuumon viewed the duel with a savage scowl on his face.

MirageGaogamon made his way into the great hall, having heard the sounds of grunts and clashing metal when he came in. He was dumbfounded to see that DarkKnightmon was fighting Alphamon. He wondered what happened to the diplomatic talks with the other Royal Knights, and what happened to make their plans escalate this far. "DarkKnightmon…" he said to himself, watching from the far end of the great hall.

Alphamon raised his hand to his face, rubbing his helmet which covered his sore and tender cheek underneath. He glowered at DarkKnightmon dangerously, his crimson eyes narrow and irritated. "I've had enough of this ridiculousness. I'm not indulging you in this any longer!" he shouted at him.

DarkKnightmon sneered and swung his spear in front of him, pointing one of the tips at Alphamon. "If you think you can end it, then end it," DarkKnightmon challenged.

"Alright…" Alphamon replied. He rushed forwards and swung the raised Seiken Gradalpha down powerfully. DarkKnightmon blocked the attack. Light burst out at the contact and rebounded the spear, but DarkKnightmon kept a strong hold on it. With his other hand, the shadowy knight drove his fist into Alphamon's exposed gut.

Alphamon grunted at the blow to his chest, but that was all. He slashed the holy sword down diagonally, only to have it blocked, and swiped it down at a drastically different angle, but DarkKnightmon blocked that with his spear as well. DarkKnightmon held the Twin Spear in front of him, using both ends defensively against the Aloof Hermit.

DarkKnightmon rushed forwards and raised his left arm which had the crescent blade attached to his arm and shoulder, ramming Alphamon with it. Instead of using the blades, DarkKnightmon hooked Alphamon inside the crescent, inhibiting the use of his arms.

Alphamon growled as he was pushed back, pressed further into the metal groove. He saw DarkKnightmon raise the Twin Spear to strike him, planning to take advantage of his compromised position. Alphamon suddenly caught himself, planting his feet on the ground, and backpedalled rapidly to put a bit of distance between DarkKnightmon and himself. As he did this, he outstretched his wings and flew upwards into the air. Alphamon flew over DarkKnightmon and slammed his heel into the back of DarkKnightmon's head.

The blow sent DarkKnightmon stumbling a bit, but he regained his composure quickly and turned around while skidding to a stop. Just as Alphamon was landing near the center of the hall, DarkKnightmon was upon him again. He slashed at Alphamon again, aiming for the armour at his collar. Alphamon swiftly bent back to avoid the swipe.

DarkKnightmon followed up the attack with an aggressive stab of the spear. Alphamon swerved to the side to avoid it, letting DarkKnightmon pass him. He brought his sword down on the exposed Royal Knight, but DarkKnightmon was savvy enough to spin around and block the oncoming attack with the blade on his left arm.

Just as he thrust his lance forwards, Alphamon brought his leg up and drove his foot into DarkKnightmon's chest at the same time. The lance sent sparks flying from Alphamon's armour and forced him back, and Alphamon's foot struck DarkKnightmon's breastplate and sent him reeling as well.

The space between the two increased as they recoiled, but it took less than a second for them to recover. Alphamon swung the Seiken Gradalpha in front of him. The sword of light made no sound as it passed through the air.

DarkKnightmon took a few steps towards Alphamon, winding his arm back. Once it was as far back as it could stretch, DarkKnightmon swept the Twin Spear out in front of him, using his weapon's superior range to his advantage.

Alphamon sneered when he saw the lance sweep towards him at a low angle. "_This is it,_" he thought.

As the Twin Spear swiftly approached him, Alphamon suddenly jumped with both feet into the air. DarkKnightmon observed with surprise and annoyance as the Twin Spear passed just under Alphamon's boots and his tucked legs, but the spear had too much momentum for him to stop it immediately.

Alphamon landed while DarkKnightmon was in mid-swing, and he wasted no time in rushing DarkKnightmon. He flipped the Seiken Gradalpha in his hand so that the blade faced towards the floor. As he closed in on Alphamon, he whipped the fulgent, holy blade upwards. The sword of light tore upwards, slamming DarkKnightmon's chest and buffeting his arm with enough power to make the knight lose his grip on the Twin Spear.

The Seiken Gradalpha knocked DarkKnightmon off of his feet and sent him flying onto his back with a metallic crash. The Twin Spear rolled along the marble floor, far out of DarkKnightmon's reach.

DarkKnightmon grimaced with pain and concern, and began to prop himself up on his elbows so that he could stand, but he felt a sudden pressure on the golden crest of his chest. He looked up and saw Alphamon looming over him, his black and gold boot on his chest, pushing him back down to the ground. DarkKnightmon grimaced when he saw the glowing, ethereal Seiken Gradalpha poised and pointed at his neck.

Alphamon kept the sword in front of DarkKnightmon's neck and face, and his foot remained steadfast on top of the defeated Royal Knight's chest. "I win… You're neutralized," Alphamon told him, drawing heavy breaths as he leered down at him.

DarkKnightmon panted and shut his eyes, leaning his head back against the hard floor. The Royal Knights sighed with relief that the fight was finally over. OuRyuumon had a smug, victorious grin plastered on his face.

Alphamon sighed as he looked down at the humbled knight. He vanquished his sword in a wisp of light and removed his foot from on top of him. "Now, can you and I talk about this reasonably?" he asked him. Alphamon stepped beside DarkKnightmon's body and offered his hand to him as a sign of peace.

The shadowy Royal Knight ignored the hand, rolling onto his front and standing up on his own. "I'd rather not," DarkKnightmon brusquely replied.

Alphamon frowned. "We have to talk about this, DarkKnightmon. I understand if you don't want to tonight, but definitely tomorrow," he told him.

DarkKnightmon gave a noncommittal shrug and slowly walked over to his Twin Spear. He bent down to pick it up.

OuRyuumon eyed him suspiciously. He kept his Gairyu scimitars ready just in case DarkKnightmon tried anything underhanded.

However, DarkKnightmon merely picked the spear up and began to head back down the great hall, towards the exit. Alphamon watched him walk away, regretful and saddened by DarkKnightmon's actions. He felt guilty that his friend felt the way that he did. He hadn't noticed that DarkKnightmon felt so strongly that he would go to such lengths. It made him feel like a failure as the Lord of the Empty Seat.

DarkKnightmon silently passed by MirageGaogamon and walked out into the foyer. MirageGaogamon gave the Royal Knights a courteous nod and followed after him.

"Nice going, Alphamon!" OuRyuumon congratulated, grinning. "You really put that cocky, two-faced bastard in his place."

"I took him for granted," Alphamon said, grimacing as he watched the two Digimon disappear as they turned down one of the corridors. "I didn't realize that he felt so… dissatisfied. Yet, it was my job to."

"It's not your fault, Alphamon," OuRyuumon told him, frowning at him. "That guy was conspiring you remove you from your rightful position. He started all this."

"Did he?" Alphamon asked. "Maybe if I gave him more notice in the past. I know we disagreed, but maybe I could have conceded a few things here and there…"

"He wasn't going to be satisfied until he had things his way," Dukemon reassured him. "DarkKnightmon isn't the type of guy to do things by half."

"Maybe he'll be fine tomorrow," Magnamon suggested with a shrug. "He'll probably feel sheepish after a good sleep, now that he's gotten that out of his system.

Dynasmon rubbed the back of his head, scratching at one of his horns. "I don't know… I wouldn't be surprised if he resigned after that."

Omegamon frowned. "He said the same thing to all of you? About wanting to remove Alphamon from his position?"

"To Magnamon, Dynasmon, and I," Dukemon replied. "We all turned him down."

"Me too," Omegamon said. "Maybe that's why he acted so rashly."

"Well, now you know who your friends are, hey, Alphamon?" OuRyuumon said, folding his arms and looking at the Lord of the Empty Seat.

Alphamon shrugged dismissively. "I thank you all for your support," he told them, although with a soft frown on his face. "It didn't go unnoticed."

"If this is going to get all sappy, I'm going to go take a leak," OuRyuumon said, beginning to walk down the great hall.

Alphamon managed a small smile at his words and nodded.

OuRyuumon glimpsed over his shoulder at Alphamon for a moment before turning forward and heading to the exit of the hall. He walked into the foyer and turned right, heading down the torch-lit corridor connected to it.

He turned down another corridor to where one of the headquarters' lavatories was located. Upon reaching the washroom, he disappeared inside. When OuRyuumon came back out after a minute, he suddenly stopped in the hallway.

The Captain of the Strike Forces thought he heard voices coming from further down the dark corridor. The muffled voices definitely sounded familiar in their tone, level, and cadence. This piqued his curiosity. He frowned as he tried to make out what they were saying and who they belonged to.

OuRyuumon decided to investigate. The gold dragon walked further down the hall, passing by a dwindling torch that was about to go out. He felt the heat against his scales, but the gust that his wing caused by passing the torch caused the flame to be extinguished, forcing him to walk in the dark.

Despite this, he could still see fairly well in the dark. This was partially due to his eyesight and partially due to the flame that he could see fulgurating down a side corridor that branched off from the corridor he was in. He walked quietly down the hallway, his bladed tail flicking back and forth behind him. It was down the upcoming side corridor on the left that he heard the voices from. Upon reaching the corner, OuRyuumon stopped and listened, fidgeting with one of the purple, fingerless gloves on his claws as he did.

"Sir, you don't want to go to Duskmon?" a voice asked.

"No," a deeper voice answered in a hushed tone. "It's just a few bruises. Back to my question: how many of your troops can you rally? And how quickly?"

OuRyuumon frowned. He recognized the voices for sure. It was MirageGaogamon and DarkKnightmon talking. To confirm it, he peeked around the corner. Indeed, he saw the large, umbrous Royal Knight facing the azure-clad, wolf captain. Both of their backs were turned just slightly towards OuRyuumon as they talked beneath the torch sconce, so they didn't notice him peering out at them.

The gold dragon withdrew to remain hidden. "_Troops? What are they talking about troops for?_" he wondered, finding their topic of conversation unusual. He wasn't aware of anything happening lately that required the mobilization of the Defence Forces.

"I can't be sure, DarkKnightmon," MirageGaogamon answered. "I'll need to talk to my leftenants. It depends on whether they're more loyal to me or to the Royal Knights. It may take some convincing."

"I hope you'll have better luck than I did," DarkKnightmon said to him bitterly.

OuRyuumon's eyes began to widen as he realized what was going on. They were conspiring.

"Are you sure that it's come to this?" MirageGaogamon asked with a voice full of apprehension. "Aren't there any other options?"

"It's the only way, Captain," spoke DarkKnightmon resolutely. "We've exhausted all other options. If we want this Order to change, then we'll need to take it over by force."

OuRyuumon glowered furiously as his words of treachery. It took all of the dragon's willpower not to fly into that hallway and challenge them. Instead, he balled up his clawed fists and remained quiet, listening in vigilantly.

"It won't be easy, Sir," MirageGaogamon told him. "Even with us, and even if I get my Defence troops on our side and get them to persuade their friends from other branches of the Order, there are still five Royal Knights and OuRyuumon to consider."

"I know…" DarkKnightmon responded, slow and calculating. "Give it time. I know people… There are powerful mercenary teams and freelancers that I can hire. If we pale in quality, we'll make up for it in quantity."

"It will be a civil war among the Order," MirageGaogamon said with a frown.

"It has to be done," DarkKnightmon said. "They brought it upon themselves when they refused to listen. I wish it hadn't come to this, but there are no alternatives. That's why I need you to get as many Digimon on our side as possible, but be discreet; we can't let this get out to the wrong ears."

"Understood, Sir."

OuRyuumon bit his tongue to keep himself from hissing. The flickering, orange torchlight reflected in his savage, baleful eyes. He took deep breaths to center himself as he eavesdropped on the two conspirators. "_They dare to betray us… to betray Alphamon… after everything we've worked for?_"

"I'll start making contact with some Digimon tomorrow," DarkKnightmon replied. "You should get to work tomorrow as well."

"Yes, Sir."

"Also, you and I should meet less frequently. It may arouse suspicion."

"Understood," MirageGaogamon replied with a nod. "I'll be off now."

"Very well. Good luck," DarkKnightmon said.

OuRyuumon heard MirageGaogamon say farewell. He heard the wolf Digimon's footsteps growing louder as he walked away. MirageGaogamon was coming in his direction.

The dragon Digimon knew that he couldn't get out of there without being seen, and if they saw him trying to escape, they'd know he was onto them. Instead, OuRyuumon backed up several steps and removed his look of fury and disgust the best that he could. He knew he would have to put on his best performance. He already had practice hiding certain aspects of himself, so he worked off that.

Now several paces behind the corner, OuRyuumon began to casually walk down the hallway towards it to make it seem like he was just arriving. Just as he did, MirageGaogamon turned the corner and stopped in his tracks when he saw OuRyuumon.

"…Captain OuRyuumon," MirageGaogamon said to him, his eyes widening ever-so-slightly. "What are you doing here?"

OuRyuumon flashed him a casual grin. "Hey, MirageGaogamon…" he greeted him calmly. The grin on his face was disturbingly serene, somehow. "Washroom. …And you? Where are you off to?"

MirageGaogamon stalled for half a moment as his mind worked like a supercomputer to try and decide if OuRyuumon had heard anything. Ultimately, he decided that it wasn't in OuRyuumon's nature to remain calm if he saw or heard something that angered him, and he didn't want to act suspicious by being overcautious.

"I'm heading to the forge to pick up my gauntlets," MirageGaogamon answered stoically. "I brought them in to be serviced over half an hour ago."

"Oh, those claws? Good…" OuRyuumon responded, still smirking at him, wide enough that MirageGaogamon could see the rows of jagged teeth in his mouth. He could see that MirageGaogamon was beginning to grow unsettled. OuRyuumon couldn't help but smile wider. "You never know when you might need to use them, right?"

MirageGaogamon nodded slightly, looking away from him. "Goodnight, Captain," he muttered, walking past him at a somewhat increased pace. Now he was rather worried that OuRyuumon did overhear after all. He glanced over his shoulder to see OuRyuumon giving him a final stare before the dragon turned the corner to where DarkKnightmon was. He contemplated going after him, but that would only arouse suspicion if OuRyuumon didn't hear, and incriminate himself more if OuRyuumon did hear. He released a calming breath and continued walking, hoping that DarkKnightmon would deal with it.

OuRyuumon turned the corner and his form became completely illuminated by the torchlight. He saw DarkKnightmon walking down the corridor, further into the darkness of the unlit section of hallway. His back was to the dragon and his dark mantle flowed behind him with every step.

The gold dragon walked into the middle of the hallway and he levelled his gaze with DarkKnightmon's back. His hand brushed across the hilt of one of the scimitars hanging from his belt, but he moved his claws up to his snout and cupped them around the sides of his mouth to amplify his voice.

"Hey!" he called down the stone corridor. His high, snarly voice echoed off the walls of the confined space as he shouted.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, DarkKnightmon stopped mid-stride. He lowered his extended foot and unclenched his muscles. Wordlessly, he looked over his shoulder, acknowledging OuRyuumon with nothing but a gaze from his yellow eye.

OuRyuumon began to grin again as he walked down the corridor towards him. For a few seconds, there was no sound between them aside from the whirring of the torch and the clacking noise of OuRyuumon's claws tapping the floor.

DarkKnightmon watched as he drew near. Between OuRyuumon's loyalty towards Alphamon and his contentious relationship with DarkKnightmon, he already expected animosity from the dragon. He expected that it would range from smug taunting to outright aggression. He tried to retain his composure, especially after it sounded like he had heard OuRyuumon speaking to MirageGaogamon.

OuRyuumon walked up beside him and folded his arms, smirking smugly at him. "Alphamon sure kicked your ass, didn't he?" he said to him.

Bristling, DarkKnightmon turned and looked at him. "What do you want, OuRyuumon?"

"I wanna talk with you," the Captain of the Strike Forces replied.

"Fine. Say what you have to say," DarkKnightmon curtly said.

"In private," OuRyuumon insisted. He glanced around. "I don't want anyone to hear this…"

DarkKnightmon arched his eyebrow curiously, but nodded. OuRyuumon walked past him and lead the way down the hallway. Once at the end of the corridor, they turned left down another hall. At the very end of that was a stone, circular alcove in the corner that held a tight, spiral staircase inside. OuRyuumon began climbing the stairs, followed by DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon couldn't help but frown at the distance they were going. OuRyuumon led him further up the flights of stairs, going past the second level and the third level. Once past the third floor, DarkKnightmon knew that OuRyuumon was heading up to one of the watch towers.

"Why are we going to the watchtower?" DarkKnightmon asked him, looking up at the dragon above him.

"Privacy," OuRyuumon told him, looking over his shoulder. "Besides, I need some air."

"If you're going to mouth off to me, this is a good a place as anywhere," he dryly said.

"It's not about that," OuRyuumon answered. For the sake of keeping up appearances, he added with a wry grin, "Entirely."

DarkKnightmon rolled his eyes and continued following him up the stairs. OuRyuumon reached the top of the stairs and emerged on the flat, open roof of a tower. It was about ten feet in diameter, and the tower parapets were made of large, stone bricks and were about three feet high. DarkKnightmon came up behind OuRyuumon and looked around.

The night was still dark and gloomy. The double full moons shone brightly, and small wisps of grey clouds floated along on the sky.

OuRyuumon stopped in the middle of the keep, looking westwards. The night breeze felt soothing to the touch, and all was quiet except for the sound of guards' talking amongst themselves far below in the courtyard.

DarkKnightmon walked past OuRyuumon and stood near the edge of the tower so that he could face OuRyuumon. He folded his arms and observed the dragon Digimon with cold, yellow eyes. "You wished to speak with me…" DarkKnightmon said matter-of-factly. "I think I know what you want to speak about."

"Do you?" OuRyuumon asked, his smile beginning to fade as he leered at the knight.

"Yes…" DarkKnightmon responded. As OuRyuumon's smirk disappeared, a small one grew on DarkKnightmon's face behind his metal mask. "My… tantrum several minutes ago, when I challenged Alphamon for the Empty Seat. That's what you want to talk about, isn't it?"

"…Yeah…" OuRyuumon replied uncertainly, looking down at him.

"I know you're mad at me… You have every right to be," the dark knight conceded diplomatically. "I just lost a hold of my temper, if you can believe it."

OuRyuumon gave him a ghost of a smile. He was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up his façade any longer, not when DarkKnightmon was standing right in front of him, feeding him fake apologies and weaving a fake tale. Inside, his blood was boiling…

"Funny, that…" he breathed.

"I know how it looked… Believe me; I'm mortified at what I ended up doing," DarkKnightmon explained to him. "I was just really frustrated and I've had a horrible day. I plan to apologize to Alphamon in the morning."

OuRyuumon exhaled through his nostrils sharply. "Yeah…? And what about you said to Dukemon, Magnamon, and Dynasmon? About you wanting to take over," he asked, playing along for the moment.

"I admit, I was venting my frustrations in their company… I asked each of them if they would be behind me, just because I needed to be validated," DarkKnightmon explained calmly. "I never meant to suggest that I wanted their help in unseating Alphamon. That's partially why I was so agitated when I came in back there."

"Oh, I get it…" OuRyuumon replied.

DarkKnightmon couldn't help but feel surprised. He didn't expect OuRyuumon to be quite so understanding. It didn't feel right. "You do…?" he asked.

"Yeah…" the serpent Digimon assured him. His bright, violet eyes observed DarkKnightmon closely. "There's no way you'd ever do something as treasonous as trying to unseat Alphamon, right?"

"That's correct," DarkKnightmon answered, although unease grew within him at the question. "How could I do something to such a dear friend?"

"…Enough, DarkKnightmon," his voice whispered in a scathing growl.

DarkKnightmon looked at OuRyuumon curiously. "I beg your pardon…?"

"No more lies…"

DarkKnightmon slowly unfolded his arms, letting them hang at his sides. Without revealing any strong or incriminating emotions, he stared up at OuRyuumon. "What lies?"

OuRyuumon's eyes turned hard and savage. The moonlight above beamed down on them both.

"I _know_, DarkKnightmon…"

Behind OuRyuumon, a massive cloud passed over the two moons, blocking them and blotting out their light. The dim, blue glow that tried to illuminate the castle disappeared, and the whole area went dark. As the clouds covered the moons behind him, OuRyuumon's face became clouded with shadows. He glowered at DarkKnightmon with fiery, baleful eyes.

Just as DarkKnightmon opened his mouth to protest, OuRyuumon spoke again.

"I know your plans. You brought this on yourself," he told him with a vicious glower. He then said one last thing.

"This is for Alphamon."

OuRyuumon burst forwards and rammed his body into DarkKnightmon's chest.

DarkKnightmon let out a grunt and staggered back from the violent shove. He reversed only two steps before the back of his leg collided with the battlements of the wall. They stood shorter than his legs, causing him to lose his balance when he hit them. He began to fall back and he grasped at air to try and catch himself. He looked up at OuRyuumon with utter confusion and shock in his wide eyes.

"O-OuRyuumon!" he sputtered.

OuRyuumon snarled. With a final, powerful shove, he knocked DarkKnightmon over the edge of the tower.

DarkKnightmon let out a sharp gasp and he swiped at OuRyuumon desperately before plummeting. OuRyuumon only managed a glance over the side of the parapets, and watched as DarkKnightmon's body fell into the abyss of the night. After a few seconds, he heard a loud metallic crash on the cobbles of the courtyard path below. After the impact, he heard nothing.

OuRyuumon managed a small grimace, but he soon went to work. He bent his long body down and grabbed hold of one of the higher blocks of the battlements. With a heave, he used all of his strength to move the brick and cause it to fall off the tower along with DarkKnightmon. The massive, heavy block of stone plummeted into the darkness as well, and the sound of it hitting the ground and shattering echoed almost as much as DarkKnightmon's fall did.

As shouts of confusion and alarm sounded out from the guards, OuRyuumon disappeared back down the staircase.


	23. Chapter 15 Part 3: The Immortal Champion

(Author's Notes: This is the final part of the flashback chapter - the exciting conclusion! After this, I'll hopefully be back to the shorter chapters. I'm working on Chapter 17 right now. Thanks everybody for the reviews and reading. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 15: The Immortal Champion (Part III)**

DarkKnightmon's body slammed into the stone cobbles with a violent clamour. His form jerked back erratically as he landed on his back. All of the wind was forced out of his lungs, so he couldn't even cry out at the intense, blinding pain that coursed through his body, muscles and bones.

However, his data remained intact. His body didn't disintegrate like a dying Digimon's would. He just lay there on his back, staring up at the night sky through a blurry haze that clouded his eyes. The clouds that covered the moons passed, and the bright orbs shone their light back down on the landscape. The next thing he knew, another object was falling to the ground as well. Before he could even register it through his incomprehensible agony, a stone brick crashed into the ground a few meters away from him, shattering on impact and pelting his body with pebbles.

To his surprise, he didn't hear the crash. His hearing was muffled and clouded. DarkKnightmon grimaced and turned his head to the side, he saw the round, armoured form of a Gladimon, and the fox-like form of a Reppamon running over to him. DarkKnightmon's vision was brighter than usual; everything seemed like early evening as opposed to near midnight, the actual time. He felt somewhat lightheaded underneath the throbbing pain in his skull, and he could feel a warm liquid trickling from his ears and nostrils underneath his helmet. When the liquid dripped onto the corner of his mouth, he recognized the metallic taste of blood.

DarkKnightmon tried to regain his senses. At the back of his mind, he wondered how he was still alive. He quickly figured that the thick armour all over his body must have cushioned him from the fall. The fact that he was at the level of a Mega Digimon certainly must have helped as well. Despite that, his body was wracked with pain.

He slowly rolled onto his side, releasing a deep groan of torment. There was a sharp pain inside his chest. His ribs were tender and he was fairly sure that he had a concussion. Despite these injuries, and the stabbing pain in his body, he continued to try to get to his knees.

"You mustn't move, Sir!" he heard the Gladimon insist anxiously as more guards began to hurry over.

"I'm… fine," he insisted weakly, getting to his hands and knees. As he stared at the ground for that moment, it began to register how this had happened. OuRyuumon pushed him.

OuRyuumon tried to kill him.

Not only that, but OuRyuumon had said that he did it for Alphamon. At first, he felt stunned. Even though they often fought, he never dreamed that OuRyuumon would do something like that to him. He knew that OuRyuumon had found out about his plans, and he knew that the dragon had always been violent, but to think that he would try to kill him…

Rage and pain ignited in DarkKnightmon like an inferno. The feelings of betrayal and total fury, mixed with the surge of adrenaline and endorphins, poured through his system like a torrent. His eyes grew wide with rage and he suddenly rose to his feet on trembling legs.

"S-Sir! You're hurt!" the Gladimon protested.

"LEAVE ME!" DarkKnightmon snapped, shoving past all of the gathered Digimon.

He still felt dazed, but a new found determination overtook him. In an almost dream-like state, DarkKnightmon stormed across the street to a large building that had smoke billowing out of its chimney at the base of the wall. He stormed into the building and was greeted with a blast of heat. He looked around the forge and saw MirageGaogamon talking with the Guardromon blacksmith.

MirageGaogamon nodded and just finished putting on his claw gauntlets when he noticed DarkKnightmon enter. He immediately noticed DarkKnightmon's haggard condition and turned to him with shock and concern. "S-Sir! What happened?!"

DarkKnightmon staggered over to MirageGaogamon and grabbed his shoulder roughly. He glared at the Captain with a frenzied look in his eyes. He wheezed furiously.

"The time… to act… is _now_!"

* * *

><p>OuRyuumon swiftly walked down a corridor towards the foyer. He looked around uneasily, paranoid that somebody might have seen him or noticed him coming from the tower stairs. Luckily for him, he didn't see anybody. Unluckily for him, he didn't know that DarkKnightmon survived the fall. He had kicked off that stone to make to seem like DarkKnightmon had fallen by accident, by leaning against a loose part of wall; nobody would have believed that DarkKnightmon just fell on his own without something causing it.<p>

He entered the foyer and turned sharply, walking back into the great hall. All of the other Royal Knights were still there, talking.

"There you are!" Dynasmon remarked, chuckling. "We were beginning to think you fell in."

OuRyuumon didn't respond. The only part of the sentence that registered was the word 'fell'. He couldn't help but look flustered and uneasy. "A-Alphamon!" he called out, looking at the Royal Knights, but finding it impossible to make eye contact with any of them, especially Alphamon.

Alphamon noticed that there was something wrong with his friend. He could tell by his body language. A frown grew on Alphamon's face. "…OuRyuumon?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"There's been an accident!" OuRyuumon replied heatedly. "DarkKnightmon fell off one of the castle towers! I think a stone came loose or something…"

Alphamon stood up from the table in horror. "What?!" he demanded, his eyes wide.

The rest of the Royal Knights followed suit.

"When was this?!" Dukemon asked, vaulting over his chair to approach OuRyuumon.

"Just a few minutes ago," OuRyuumon answered, grimacing.

"Is he okay?!" Magnamon asked with concern.

OuRyuumon stalled. "…No… He's d-"

OuRyuumon was interrupted when a massive, yellow beam exploded through the side of the great hall, tearing through the marble wall and ripping shards of rock and gold marble away. The Royal Knights dived to the floor in a kneejerk response to the unexpected blast. It passed over their heads, pelting their bodies with bits of rock and marble, and tore along the opposite wall, sending more chunks of marble crashing to the floor.

The Royal Knights grunted as the beam diminished but wasted no time in getting back up.

"What the hell was that?!" Dukemon demanded, scrambling to his feet. He summoned the Aegis shield and the Gram lance in his hands as he turned towards the cloud of dust.

"Are we under attack?!" Alphamon asked, forming the glowing, white, Seiken Gradalpha in one hand and an aura of green power in the other.

The rest of the Royal Knights also prepared to defend themselves, turning to the haze of dust and smoke.

A great shadow emerged in the cloud. The large, dark body stepped into the great hall through the hole made in the wall. He strode in with zealous determination, a double-sided lance in his hand.

DarkKnightmon emerged from the smoke before the Royal Knights. His gold eyes shone with venomous severity and fierceness, and his dark mantle whipped behind him as he approached.

Behind him followed MirageGaogamon, who appeared stoically from the smoke, the cannon on his chest leaking yellow breath from the attack.

"DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon demanded, seeing them both. "What's going on?! I thought you... What was that attack?!"

OuRyuumon's heart dropped like a comet when he saw the 'dead' black knight emerge, very much alive.

"Thought I was dead?" DarkKnightmon asked, glaring at him darkly. His pupil-less eyes turned to look at OuRyuumon. Despite the pain that still wracked his body, and the blood trickling down his face behind his mask, he couldn't help but grin at the expression on OuRyuumon's face. "I'm sorry to disappoint..."

OuRyuumon's eyes were as wide as the full moons outside. His jagged teeth were clenched with bitter fear and shock. The claws on his fingers were gripping the Gairyu scimitars so tightly that they nearly dug into their hilts.

He had no idea how DarkKnightmon survived that fall. He didn't understand how he managed it. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. Without realizing it, his astounded, outraged, violet eyes between darting back and forth between Alphamon and DarkKnightmon. If DarkKnightmon told them what happened, he'd be kicked out of the Order. Alphamon might never speak to him again. He knew that what he did was for a good reason, but if DarkKnightmon convinced them that he was the victim, then it would be his word against OuRyuumon's, and DarkKnightmon had the physical bruises as proof. Then again, they just blasted a hole through the side of the wall, but OuRyuumon was too caught up in his worry to register the implications of that.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, OuRyuumon," DarkKnightmon observed, raising his Twin Spear and pointing it at him. "I'm one Digimon who can't be killed so easily.

OuRyuumon tensed up at his words, standing straight with his long body. He glared at DarkKnightmon with a rivalrous sneer.

"DarkKnightmon!" Dukemon shouted, walking ahead with a demanding leer. "What's the meaning of this? Captain MirageGaogamon, why did you do that to the wall? Somebody could have been hurt!"

As the crimson knight approached, DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and stepped towards him. "That was the idea," he spoke, gripping his spear. "Twin Spear!" DarkKnightmon swung his lance upwards, tearing the tip up Dukemon's chest.

The spear slammed into his chest, but his armour withheld the attack. Dukemon released a shout of surprise as he was thrown off his feet from the powerful swing and sent flying onto his back.

"Dukemon!" Dynasmon yelled, rushing over to him with concern.

"DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon scolded angrily. "Lower your weapon!"

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes as he beheld the Lord of the Empty Seat. "You expect me to take any heed of what _you_ have to say, Alphamon?" he asked him frigidly. "After everything that's happened?"

"Whatever's happened doesn't excuse what you just did!" Alphamon replied firmly. "Lower your weapon before you do something that you can't take back!"

"Don't talk down to me, Alphamon! You're a hypocrite and you know it," DarkKnightmon snapped back, seething underneath. "You and your cronies should take a hard look at yourselves before you pass judgment on me. All I wanted was to make a difference in the world and you stifled me at every turn!"

"That's not true at all!" Alphamon stormed. "Can you not handle being told, 'no'?"

"What I can't handle is you driving this Order into the ground," the shadow knight told him. "I'm going to wrestle this Order free from your grasp at any cost! I am finished with waiting. Now we are ready to act!"

Dynasmon finished helping Dukemon to his feet and he looked over at MirageGaogamon. "MirageGaogamon?" he asked the captain incredulously.

"It's nothing personal, Sir," MirageGaogamon told them, readying his claws and narrowing his gaze. "I just happen to believe in DarkKnightmon more."

"Attack!" DarkKnightmon ordered, rushing across the debris-cluttered floor of the great hall. He headed straight for Alphamon, his spear poised behind him and his eyes flashing dangerously. "No restraint this time, Alphamon!"

Alphamon grimaced and readied the Seiken Gradalpha. "_Why is this happening...?_" he wondered. His gaze slowly hardened. "Don't test me, DarkKnightmon..."

"It won't be like last time," DarkKnightmon breathed. He looked over his shoulder at MirageGaogamon.

MirageGaogamon nodded obediently and the gaping wolf maw on his chest suddenly gleamed brightly. "Full Moon Blaster!"

A beam ripped from his cannon, headed straight for DarkKnightmon's back as the knight charged Alphamon. DarkKnightmon lunged up, bounding high into the air so that the blast passed under him. As DarkKnightmon moved, Alphamon saw the blast that was behind him, and it swiftly closed in on him.

Alphamon grunted and dove out of the way, somersaulting across the floor. The beam passed by him and slammed into the back wall. The section of wall burst with a powerful explosion, rocking the great hall and pelting the area with more marble and rock. Alphamon came to a stop on his knee. He looked up and saw a shadow descending on him.

DarkKnightmon came down on Alphamon, stabbing down at him with his Twin Spear. Alphamon turned around and raised the Seiken Gradalpha, blocking the tip of the lance from hitting him by catching it on the sturdy, semi-physical light of his sword. Alphamon held against him for a second before narrowing his eyes and sweeping his sword outwards.

The seditious Royal Knight wasted no time in counterattacking. As Alphamon stood up to face him, DarkKnightmon aimed the tip of his lance at him. The Twin Spear surged with dark energy. A pillar of destructive shadows shot out and descended on Alphamon before he had a chance to defend himself.

Alphamon shouted with shock and pain as the beam slammed into him. The resulting explosion tore up the floor tiles and threw Alphamon through the air. The black Royal Knight was swept up in the beam and the resulting explosion, and he slammed into the circular council table violently, the impact's pressure splitting the smooth, stone surface down the middle.

"Alphamon!" Magnamon yelled out with worry. He ran over to Alphamon to see if he was okay. Upon reaching the broken, shattered table, he saw the Alphamon was already stirring. With a grimace, he turned towards DarkKnightmon, who landed on his feet. "DarkKnightmon! Enough of this! Let's talk about this reasonably!"

"We're beyond that, Magnamon," DarkKnightmon coolly told him. "Either join me or stay out of my way. Otherwise, I'm going to take you down too."

OuRyuumon glowered. "You think you can get away with this?!" he snapped, flying into the air and racing towards DarkKnightmon with his scimitars drawn. "I'm gonna kill you!"

DarkKnightmon turned towards the approaching dragon with narrowed eyes and he raised his Twin Spear to counter him. "Now, now... Don't start something you can't finish, OuRyuumon," he taunted calmly, his eyes flashing. A torrent of shadows ripped from the Twin Spear towards gold dragon Digimon.

OuRyuumon hissed as he jerked his serpentine body to the right and flew upwards, narrowly avoiding DarkKnightmon's umbrous beam. He heard the dark energy crackling below him as it flew across the great hall and went right through the hole in the wall, creating a devastating, unseen explosion in another section of the headquarters. OuRyuumon's eyes narrowed keenly and he swooped down sharply as the blast subsided. As he descended on him, he slashed one of the Gairyu swords down on DarkKnightmon.

Sparks exploded out from clashing metal. The dark Royal Knight raised the Twin Spear and blocked the Gairyu Udaijin, holding steady against the strike with his own strength. He then noticed OuRyuumon stab the sword in his left hand, the Gairyu Sadaijin, towards his throat. DarkKnightmon swiftly and smoothly tilted his head to the left, causing the sword to slide against his metal helmet and glance off with the sharp, dragging sound of metal.

DarkKnightmon drove his metal fist into OuRyuumon's armoured underbelly, extracting a winded gasp and a few drops of saliva from the dragon's mouth. He gave a hoarse breath, but kept his hold on the struggle against DarkKnightmon's spear. DarkKnightmon strongly punched him again, arching OuRyuumon's back and causing him to stumble backwards a few steps as he tried to regain his breath.

The dragon felt DarkKnightmon's boot collide with his lower body, driving him back further. DarkKnightmon then lunged at him, swiping his lance down vertically.

"Damn you...!" OuRyuumon sputtered, crossing his scimitars to block the giant weapon. The swords held true and DarkKnightmon recoiled the Twin Spear to counterattack. With space now available to him OuRyuumon flapped his Gaiba Daimeijin wings and flew backwards to put distance between himself and DarkKnightmon. He extended his Gairyu swords and levelled them with DarkKnightmon's body. As they began to glow and spark with luminous power, he spoke in a growl.

"Eiseiryuoujin!" Two blasts exploded from the swords and collided with DarkKnightmon's chest.

DarkKnightmon grunted and sneered as the power pounded against his armour. He skidded across the floor on his feet, only barely managing to remain standing as he was forced back several meters. Smoke wafted up from his chest and he glared at OuRyuumon with cold, gleaming eyes.

OuRyuumon smirked and swiped his swords outwards, flicking the lingering energy from the blades. "You're not as great as you think you are."

DarkKnightmon smiled to himself, suddenly looking over at OuRyuumon's side. MirageGaogamon tackled the dragon in a blur of azure, raking his claws across his chest. OuRyuumon growled with shock and pain, swiftly responding by slashing his sword across MirageGaogamon's armour as they flew through the air.

"Thank you for occupying him, Captain," he said before turning to the Royal Knights.

Alphamon glared at him. He held his sword in one hand and swept his other hand outwards. "This is your last chance, DarkKnightmon! Cease this at once and we can lessen your punishment!" he told him.

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes. "Last chances... Bargains..." he said aloud. "That is precisely why you're _weak_, Alphamon." The shadowy knight took off towards them, weapon in hand.

Alphamon swore under his breath. "Magnamon! Go help OuRyuumon! The rest of you, with me! No using powerful beam attacks; they could hurt other Digimon and destroy the castle!" he ordered the Royal Knights.

"Got it!" Magnamon told him, dashing for a few moments before jumping into flight. He soared down the long great hall, to where OuRyuumon and MirageGaogamon were fighting on the opposite end.

"That won't stop him from using those attacks!" Dukemon protested, raising his lance and shield, looking at the fast approaching DarkKnightmon. "He's completely discarded his honour and integrity."

"We'll just have to deal with it," Alphamon responded. "The forces won't know what's going on. We could hurt them if we use powerful attacks while they're unprepared."

"That soft thinking is the reason why this Order will never reach its full potential," DarkKnightmon exclaimed before lunging into the air. He landed in the midst of Alphamon, Omegamon, Dynasmon, and Dukemon, and began spinning the Twin Spear rapidly. "Treason Vortex!"

Shadows arced out from the twin tips of the lance, swirling around DarkKnightmon's body. The dark power grew and multiplied with every swing of the spear. Soon, a maelstrom of shadows spiralled around DarkKnightmon's body. The darkness swept over the four Royal Knights and blasted their bodies. The four knights were thrown away in separate directions.

DarkKnightmon burst through the dark veil before it even began to disappear. He raced across the floor after Dukemon, who hit the floor and somersaulted backwards to bring himself back to his feet.

Just as he began to recover, Dukemon saw DarkKnightmon rip across the floor towards him. His eyes narrowed angrily and power spiralled around the Gram lance. "Lightning Jou—"

DarkKnightmon slammed the Twin Spear into Dukemon's lance in a sideways slash, pointing it away from him. The spear exploded with holy energy which shot out and stabbed into the floor with a fearsome explosion. Ignoring the blast, DarkKnightmon slashed his spear in the opposite direction this time. The Twin Spear caught the side of the Aegis, getting inside the shield and knocking it, along with Dukemon's arm, outwards. Dukemon cursed at DarkKnightmon's fast and deadly precise actions – his body was completely exposed in this crucial moment.

Dukemon's eyes locked with DarkKnightmon's fiercely. "DarkKni—AHH!"

DarkKnightmon coldly and ruthlessly swept his Twin Spear down Dukemon's body. The spear punctured the metal and it tore through his armour vertically, leaving a long, serrated gash in the metal in its wake. The spear's tip slashed through his scales and drew blood.

When the lance left his armour, Dukemon fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding chest and breathing heavily. Despite the burning pain he felt, he snarled harshly and stabbed the Gram into DarkKnightmon's side. The tip caught just the edge of it and dug into his armour.

"Lightning Joust!" he scathed. Power spiraled around his lance in a holy vortex. The burning energy collected at the point of the Gram, which was embedded in DarkKnightmon's armour. The tip of the Gram exploded with holy power, shattering the part of DarkKnightmon's armour at his left hip. He let out a sharp grunt of pain as pieces of armour burst outwards and his skin was burned, bruised, and bloodied.

DarkKnightmon was blasted to the side, staggering on his feet. His already bruised body throbbed with pain, but he would not be deterred. He caught himself and dug his foot into a nearby crater from one of the attacks. He looked down quickly to survey the damage. His left hip was completely exposed and smouldering with smoke and residual energy. He narrowed his eyes indignantly and turned to Dukemon.

The crimson Royal Knight heaved in pain, but he was now on one knee instead of two, indicating to DarkKnightmon that he hadn't given up yet. Dukemon looked around. He saw that Alphamon, Omegamon, and Dynasmon were all pretty much recovered from the Treason Vortex attack by now.

DarkKnightmon walked over to Dukemon and grabbed him by his long, white hair. He pulled Dukemon's head forwards sharply, just as he brought his knee up, driving the golden spike into Dukemon's visor. Dukemon cried out and began to fall back from the blow, but DarkKnightmon wasn't finished. He drove his bladed boot into Dukemon's chest, sending him sailing onto his caped back.

Once Dukemon landed with a crash several meters away from him, DarkKnightmon raised the Twin Spear and aimed the point at Dukemon. He fired a massive, black and purple beam from the spear that slammed into Dukemon and crashed him into the damaged marble floor, creating a crater around the knight. Dukemon was able to shield himself with the Aegis, but it only helped so much.

The dark knight's spear brimmed with shadows once again and he fired a second blast onto Dukemon, who weakly tried to sit up. Dukemon was crushed against the floor, and pain flooded through his body. The beam diminished and the armour covering Dukemon's body was fractured and smoking all over. He gasped, panted, and his body trembled with pain and obstinate struggle, but he couldn't get back up no matter how hard he tried.

"Dukemon!"

Dynasmon roared with anger and came up behind DarkKnightmon, wrapping his arms around the knight's body and crushing his arms to his side in a painful bear hug to keep him from attacking Dukemon and using his spear.

"DarkKnightmon! How dare you do this! What's wrong with you?!" he demanded, right beside DarkKnightmon's ear. He glared at his face with angry, confused, red eyes. "Dukemon's your friend, damnit! We all are! Doesn't that mean anything to you anymore?!"

"At one time, it would have," DarkKnightmon told him, grimacing and struggling against the tight, painful hold. "Now, you have all freed me from those bonds."

DarkKnightmon drove his head back into Dynasmon's face, momentarily stunning him. He followed up the attack by driving his elbow back into Dynasmon's gut. Dynasmon staggered back, growling and dragging his claws against DarkKnightmon's armour as he recoiled.

With his arms free, DarkKnightmon was able to act. He spun around and drove his fist into Dynasmon's face, his knuckles colliding painfully with Dynasmon's mouth and chin. The violet dragon man kept himself from tripping by poising his wings back and grabbing hold of DarkKnightmon's wrist. DarkKnightmon was pulled forwards along with Dynasmon. He saw the dragon knight steady himself and proceed to drive his mighty fist into DarkKnightmon's upper body.

DarkKnightmon grunted at the shockwave of pain, but as he fell back, he stabbed the Twin Spear into the ground to keep himself from falling.

Dynasmon steadied himself and felt blood trickle out of the corner of his mouth. He raised his hand to wipe the blood away and observed the crimson smear on his finger with anger and frustration. "So, that's how it's going to be, DarkKnightmon...?" His blood red eyes hardened and he outstretched his hands. The gems on his palms began to shine with elemental energy. "Then I'll take you down! Dragon's Roar!"

Raw elemental power – fire and light – came shooting from his palms. They spiralled around one another hypnotically and hurled towards DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon saw them approach at a wide arc before slowly converging, making it difficult for him to dodge. He acted quickly and his body suddenly shone brightly. DarkKnightmon's body suddenly broke into his two component parts: SkullKnightmon, a short, spry knight with DarkKnightmon's body and both ends of the Twin Spear on his hands, and DeadlyAxemon, an agile, demonic beast whose body consisted of DarkKnightmon's legs and the axe on DarkKnightmon's shoulder. With DarkKnightmon's body now split, the two diverged in opposite directions, allowing the Dragon's Roar attack to pass between them and explode on the opposite wall with a massive detonation.

SkullKnightmon's short body ripped across the floor, jumped up, bounded off the nearby back wall with his feet and descended on Dynasmon.

"What?!" Dynasmon demanded, turning towards SkullKnightmon. Unfortunately, distracted by SkullKnightmon's speed and aggression, he turned his attention away from the faster of the duo, DeadlyAxemon.

"Air Slicer!" the beast said in a high pitched roar. DeadlyAxemon flanked Dynasmon from the side, moving so quickly that only his afterimage could be seen. His speed rivalled MirageGaogamon, who combated OuRyuumon and Magnamon at the other end of the battle-torn great hall. DeadlyAxemon passed Dynasmon, his bladed body slicing along his back. DeadlyAxemon hit the wall gracelessly and jumped off, rebounding back, and slicing across Dynasmon's front.

Before SkullKnightmon even came close to him, he felt his arms, back and wings, burn with an unbearable, stinging pain. He gave a snarl and faltered in his stance. This offered an opening for SkullKnightmon, who slammed into Dynasmon's chest and stabbed his dual spears into Dynasmon's chrome digizoid chest armour. "Spear Needle!"

Dynasmon was thrown back by the powerful, painful impact, but not before grabbing SkullKnightmon by the head and instinctively blasting him at point blank range, shooting him like a cannon out of his large palm. SkullKnightmon skidded across the floor but quickly righted himself and stood upright.

Upon standing up, he found himself bombarded by blasts of emerald energy, which exploded around him. He braced himself with his spear arms and saw Alphamon firing on him, taking the opportunity to intervene now that Dynasmon and he were separated.

"Dynasmon! Your attacks are too powerful!" Alphamon told him as he fired small Digitalize of Soul blasts from his palm.

Dynasmon grimaced, looking around and noticing that the great hall seemed to be on the verge of collapsing by this point. "R-Right..." he grunted.

"DeadlyAxemon! To me!" SkullKnightmon commanded.

"Got it!" DeadlyAxemon replied, ripping across the floor and skidding to a stop at SkullKnightmon's side.

"DigiXros!" SkullKnightmon announced. The two partitioned Digimon began to radiate bright white and grey light. Their bodies converged into one another's and, once again, they formed DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon turned towards Dynasmon and pointed his Twin Spear at the Digimon. A dark aura swirled around the long, conical lance.

"Plasma Shoot!" a voice called out from the side.

Four golden missiles streaked through the air towards DarkKnightmon, smoke puffing out from behind them. Just as DarkKnightmon pivoted to see them, the four descended on him, and four explosions blasted him from every angle, swallowing him up in golden fire and smoke.

As DarkKnightmon let out a reflexive shout, Magnamon dashed over to Dynasmon's side.

"Magnamon!" Omegamon proclaimed, surprised to see him back here.

"What are you doing here?" Alphamon asked, looking at him and then turning back to look down the great hall. MirageGaogamon and OuRyuumon were still clashing.

"OuRyuumon assured me he could handle MirageGaogamon," Magnamon replied. "They were too close together for me to do anything anyways, and I thought you could use more help against DarkKnightmon."

Dynasmon managed a pained, half-grin. "You're probably right about that..."

"Alright," Alphamon said, watching the cloud of smoke for DarkKnightmon, carefully. He motioned with his hand to Omegamon, telling him to flank DarkKnightmon from behind. "Just watch those explosions."

Magnamon nodded and dashed ahead of the dragon, running towards the haze of smoke created by his missiles. Inside the cloud, he saw DarkKnightmon's shadowy silhouette, using his spear to keep himself standing. Magnamon lunged into the smoky miasma and drew his fist back. "Magnum Punch!"

His blue, clawed fist, supercharged by the golden energy of Miracles, connected with DarkKnightmon's face, causing his head to jerk back and force him to stumble. "Magnum Kick!" He followed up with a strong, golden kick into DarkKnightmon's gut, making the dark knight double over and wheeze.

As Magnamon landed, DarkKnightmon lashed out with his free hand , driving his palm into Magnamon's throat and curling his fingers around his neck. DarkKnightmon squeezed tightly, cutting off the golden knight's oxygen, and lifted him off the ground, holding him at arm's length so that Magnamon couldn't reach DarkKnightmon's body with his punches or kicks.

Magnamon gasped and choked, struggling to hit DarkKnightmon, one of his claws on DarkKnightmon's wrist to try and pull his hand off his neck. DarkKnightmon's eyes narrowed coldly and he squeezed harder.

"Magnamon!" Dynasmon shouted. He flapped his large, violet wings strongly and lifted himself off his feet. Despite the stinging he felt in them from DeadlyAxemon's attack, he flew forwards to help his friend.

Dynasmon dove towards DarkKnightmon, winding his fist back. DarkKnightmon glanced up at him and, without letting go of Magnamon, raised the Twin Spear in his other hand. The weapon surged with dark, violet power, and a beam launched through the air at Dynasmon, hitting him head on. Dynasmon released a snarl of pain as the beam exploded on contact with him and he was blasted out of the air. Dynasmon crashed to the ground in a heap.

Magnamon released a muffled, garbled growl and went to work on punching the arm that held him. He was distraught to see that it wasn't helping his situation very much. DarkKnightmon turned his Twin Spear towards Magnamon, angling one of the sharp tips with his body.

Magnamon glared defiantly at the fallen knight before him. "Plas...ma... Shoot!" he rasped. His golden shoulder guards suddenly glowed and, from inside of them, two missiles sailed out and crashed downwards, at DarkKnightmon's feet. The explosions erupted between them, throwing them apart violently. Magnamon slid out of the grip of DarkKnightmon's fingers and he was blasted away by the explosion, slamming into the debris-littered floor and skidding across it on his back. With a grimace, he stopped near Dynasmon.

DarkKnightmon was also thrown backwards, but he managed a backwards somersault in mid air so that he could right himself and land on his feet. As soon as he touched down, something caught his eye. He recognized a flash of white over his shoulder, and knew that Omegamon was lurking behind him. DarkKnightmon wasn't about to be stabbed in the back a second time. The dark paladin raced forwards, away from Omegamon and towards Dynasmon and Magnamon. He ducked and jumped over the small but concentrated Digitalize of Soul blasts that Alphamon fired at him as he ran.

Alphamon grimaced, starting to run to intervene. "Dynasmon! Magnamon! Look out!" he warned them, still firing green beams from his palms as he moved.

Dynasmon and Magnamon were helping one another to their feet when they heard Alphamon's warning. They turned and saw DarkKnightmon closing in on them at incredible speeds.

Magnamon grimaced and his golden armour began to glow with concentrated energy. "Plasma Shoot!" he called out. However, instead of missiles, it was a variant of the attack; golden power burst from his armour towards DarkKnightmon. Dynasmon raised a hand and scowled, aiming his glowing palm at the fast approaching knight. "Dragon Thrower!"

Golden and white power blasted from the two knights and flew alongside the other in synchronicity. DarkKnightmon slammed his foot into the ground, creating cracks in the tiles, and bounded high into the air. He narrowly avoided the two attacks. The radiant beams grazed and superheated the soles of his boots, but he jumped high enough to pass over them.

DarkKnightmon continued to ascend, lunging over the two Royal Knights. Just as he was above them, he aimed the Twin Spear down at them. A pillar of shadows ripped from the spear and descended upon the two Royal Knights, crushing them into the floor.

Magnamon and Dynasmon's shouts of pain were drowned out by the sound of dark power all around them. They were forced to their knees, and when the beam subsided, their forms throbbed and smoked with dark power.

DarkKnightmon landed behind them and immediately turned around. He dashed towards the two Royal Knights, his lance held behind his back in a poised position. However, Dynasmon and Magnamon weren't finished just yet. They both shot to their feet and spun around, their fists clenched and ready to punch the dark Royal Knight.

DarkKnightmon swept the Twin Spear out in a smooth, savage arc. The lance ripped across Dynasmon and Magnamon's bodies before they could get close enough to him to attack. Their stances faltered and their muscles began to give out. DarkKnightmon then levelled the Twin Spear with their pained bodies and released another beam blast at them at point blank range.

The dark torrent of energy enveloped the two Royal Knights and sent them flying through the air within the shadows' folds. They tumbled across the floor for several meters before coming to a stop. Neither Magnamon nor Dynasmon moved.

"DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon shouted with anger and a tinge of fear, glaring at him for what he was doing to his friends and comrades.

"All of this could have been avoided," DarkKnightmon muttered, ducking under a streak of emerald energy that Alphamon fired at him.

Alphamon sneered and clenched the Seiken Gradalpha in his right hand, which hummed with holy energy. He charged towards DarkKnightmon.

However, DarkKnightmon, instead of going to meet Alphamon's charge, broke off in a different direction. He rushed towards Omegamon.

Omegamon's blue eyes calmly narrowed when he realized that DarkKnightmon wanted him to be his next opponent. The white knight accepted his challenge. He dashed across the floor towards DarkKnightmon; he swept out the long Grey Sword from his left arm and aimed the Garuru Cannon on his right in front of him, at DarkKnightmon.

"You can still stop this, DarkKnightmon," Omegamon told him, rushing to meet the knight head on.

"You say with a raised sword," DarkKnightmon responded, continuing to charge him.

"What do you expect?" Omegamon answered, narrowing his eyes as he swiped the Grey Sword out.

The sword sang a metal hum as it swept in front of Omegamon at a horizontal arc. DarkKnightmon quickly brought the Twin Spear to block it, and the two collided in a crash of armour. The two knights rebounded off each other, Omegamon slightly further due to DarkKnightmon's strength advantage.

Omegamon used his recoil to his advantage. As space grew between them, he aimed the Garuru Cannon and fired a powerful blast of bright, blue energy. "Garuru Cannon!" he shouted as the massive, spherical orb pulsed from his cannon.

Unable to dodge the attack at such a close distance, DarkKnightmon swung the Twin Spear up to help block the attack, but it could only do so much. The sphere of cold, freezing power slammed into DarkKnightmon's spear, shoving it back against his chest, before the rest of the blast collided with his upper body too. He grimaced upon feeling the numbing cold coat his spear and his armour. The enormous, concussive blast sent him reeling back and he saw forced to slash out his icicle-dripping spear to keep himself standing as he skidded along the floor.

Over his shoulder, he noticed Alphamon coming up behind him, slashing horizontally to strike his back with his holy sword. DarkKnightmon exhaled sharply and swiftly pulled the Twin Spear behind his back, using the thick edge of it to block the Seiken Gradalpha from hitting his armour and his tender back. The sword struck his spear, and while it cushioned the worst of the damage, he still felt the enormous momentum of the blow, forcing him to stagger forwards, back towards Omegamon. As DarkKnightmon stumbled, he fired a beam blindly behind him at Alphamon. The dark blast grazed the side of Alphamon's arm and hit his protrusive shoulder armour, knocking him back.

DarkKnightmon took advantage of his forward momentum to increase his charge towards Omegamon. He stabbed the Twin Spear towards Omegamon's chest, but Omegamon swerved to the left and gave a backhanded slash with the Grey Sword towards DarkKnightmon's chest. DarkKnightmon acted quickly, bringing the Twin Spear up to block it.

Omegamon swung his right arm and drove the muzzle of the Garuru Cannon into DarkKnightmon's face. Temporarily stunned, DarkKnightmon reeled back from the blow. Omegamon saw his opportunity. He raised the Grey Sword and swept it down DarkKnightmon's chest armour.

The fallen knight sneered with pain and frustration as the metal-on-metal caused sparks to cascade out from his chest. "Omegamon..." he growled, grabbing one of the side horns of the Grey Sword to resist against the slash. He stabbed the Twin Spear against the armour covering Omegamon's upper body, forcing him back a few steps as the tip scratched the paint and dug into the metal, although not deep enough to breach.

DarkKnightmon aimed one of the ends of his lance at Omegamon. Omegamon saw the weapon flow with shadows and realized that he was about to fire it. He swiftly aimed the Garuru Cannon and fired a quick but powerful blast from the mouth of the cannon. The strong orb slammed into DarkKnightmon's hand, exploding mightily on contact, forcing the Twin Spear out of DarkKnightmon's hand.

The yellow eyes of DarkKnightmon widened slightly as the spear crashed to the floor out of his reach. Without his primary weapon, DarkKnightmon was left at a disadvantage. This, he wouldn't tolerate. DarkKnightmon charged at Omegamon and slammed the massive axe of his shoulder into Omegamon's body cutting against him and ramming him violently. Omegamon let out a grunt as he was sent staggering in reverse. With Omegamon temporarily predisposed, DarkKnightmon lunged after the Twin Spear, which lay on the ground several meters away from him. Omegamon saw DarkKnightmon make for the weapon, and although still unbalanced, he acted. The white knight raised the Garuru Cannon swiftly and fired it with the best aim that he could muster in that moment. A blast of power ripped from the cannon and exploded against DarkKnightmon's shoulder just as the dark warrior closed in on the weapon.

DarkKnightmon released a surprised and frustrated shout as the blast sent him flying onto his caped back. Omegamon managed to right himself and he took off after DarkKnightmon before he could recover as well.

The holy knight flew up and landed with boot on DarkKnightmon's chest, forcing him down. He placed one foot on DarkKnightmon's wrist and squatted over DarkKnightmon. The Garuru Cannon hovered over DarkKnightmon, aimed at his face and upper body.

DarkKnightmon stared down the muzzle of the cannon. He saw bright, azure energy beginning to accumulate within the cannon's mouth. He grimaced and looked past the weapon, up at Omegamon.

"Well, old friend..." he said somberly, with the air of defeat heavy in his voice.

Omegamon glared at him silently, still gathering energy within his cannon.

DarkKnightmon laid his head back. "Do it, Omegamon..." he softly said, gazing up into Omegamon's eyes. "You've won."

The white knight stalled, although power continued to grow in the Garuru Cannon's muzzle.

DarkKnightmon continued staring at him. "Do it..." he urged him.

The white knight's hard gaze faltered. He stared down at his friend and knew that he couldn't fire. He grimaced and the energy in the cannon subsided.

A victorious glint shone in DarkKnightmon's eyes.

He drove his knee into Omegamon's groin, eliciting a sharp yell from the Digimon. Omegamon stood up on reflex, which gave DarkKnightmon more room to manoeuvre. He tucked his leg into his chest and then propelled a painful kick into Omegamon's stomach, lifting the knight off his feet for a moment. DarkKnightmon then lashed out his other leg to sweep kick Omegamon's legs.

Omegamon grunted as he felt his legs be kicked out. He crashed to the floor, landing on his back. At the same time, DarkKnightmon swiftly scrambled to grab the Twin Spear from nearby. Once he felt the hilt of the Twin Spear back in its rightful place in his hand, he raced towards Omegamon.

The white knight watched as DarkKnightmon approached and he quickly raised his Garuru Cannon to defend himself, aiming to fire at DarkKnightmon. He narrowed his eyes; this time he wouldn't falter. Energy gathered in his cannon, but DarkKnightmon was too quick.

DarkKnightmon stuck the Twin Spear right into the muzzle of the Garuru Cannon, fighting against the power that was building up there. The dark knight's eyes flashed and he suddenly unleashed a massive blast of dark power from the Twin Spear. The shadowy blast ripped through the Garuru Cannon, fracturing the cannon and engulfing Omegamon's arm with tearing, black power. Omegamon shouted in agony as the energy enveloped his arm.

DarkKnightmon withdrew the Twin Spear, the lance crackling with shadows and vestiges of icy energy. He calmly spun the Twin Spear around and thrust the opposite end downwards onto Omegamon. The sharp tip dug into Omegamon's breast plate, embedding in the thick armour and hooking him as DarkKnightmon suddenly brought the spear upwards. With a heave, DarkKnightmon used the spear to raise Omegamon off of the floor, dragging him so that his feet no longer touched the shattered marble. He raised Omegamon high over his head, so that he was stuck on the end of his spear. As soon as Omegamon was immediately above him, a massive beam surged from the end of the Twin Spear, engulfing Omegamon in a pillar of shadows.

The darkness exploded on contact with Omegamon, fracturing his armour and tearing a yell of pain from his throat. DarkKnightmon then whipped his spear to the side, throwing Omegamon off of the tip. He fired another dark blast from the spear, which slammed into Omegamon and sent him crashing into the wall. The already fractured wall started to collapse around Omegamon and he fell to the floor with a clatter, becoming partially buried by the crumbling wall.

When he was sure that Omegamon wasn't getting back up any time soon, DarkKnightmon sighed and turned to face his next opponent. When he looked, his eyes widened; Alphamon was in front of him with a furious stare, his sword raised.

Alphamon slashed the Seiken Gradalpha down on DarkKnightmon, who was only just barely able to raise his spear to block the savage swipe.

"DarkKnightmon! You honourless traitor!" Alphamon growled, his sword crackling with tendrils of light as he pushed against DarkKnightmon's lance.

"_You_ made me sink to these depths," DarkKnightmon said calmly, but with no less intensity hidden beneath his words. "It's the only way I can safeguard this world."

"Pure selfishness and rationalizations!" Alphamon retorted, retracting his sword and raising his palm, which radiated green power intensely. "Digitalize of Soul!"

An emerald beam pulsed out and slammed into DarkKnightmon's body. Some of the blast hit his exposed skin at his hip where a large chunk of armour was missing, sending pain shooting up his chest. He flew back from the blast but stabbed the back end of his spear into the ground behind him, halting him. At the same time, the front end of the spear was aimed at Alphamon, and he levelled a beam with Alphamon's body.

Alphamon's crimson eyes narrowed at the oncoming beam and he pulled the Seiken Gradalpha back behind his head with both hands, winding the sword up before slashing straight down mightily. The holy sword swept through the black and purple beam, parting it down the middle.

As soon as the shadows began to dissipate, DarkKnightmon's Twin Spear suddenly soared through the shadows, thrown by its owner. Like a javelin, the spear flew at Alphamon and collided with his undefended upper chest. He let out a cry of shock as he staggered back.

Already, DarkKnightmon was upon him, driving his axe into Alphamon's armoured body, sending him crashing to the ground. DarkKnightmon quickly picked up his spear and lunged at Alphamon, swinging his giant weapon down on him.

Alphamon grimaced and rolled out of the way as the metal collided with the ground, puncturing the floor. Immediately after the collision, the tip of the spear exploded with power, blasting Alphamon to the side. The Lord of the Empty Seat slid along the ground but fired a Digitalize of Soul blast as he did. The beam cut across DarkKnightmon's leg, almost causing it to buckle.

DarkKnightmon hissed with pain but managed to remain standing. He was already in so much pain from the fall and from the previous fights, but he refused to give in. He refused to lose when he was so close.

"You're the selfish one, Alphamon!" he shouted across to him. "You're too concerned about making a stir that you're afraid to give the Digimon of the Digital World what they _need_."

"I refuse to impose my own will and desires on the Digimon on this land!" Alphamon responded, struggling to his feet. He gripped the Seiken Gradalpha tighter. "You just want to control everybody!"

"You can't comprehend me at all," DarkKnightmon told him emotionlessly. "That's part of the reason why this coup d'état is necessary."

"You won't be successful," Alphamon exclaimed, leering at him. "I'm going to defeat you, DarkKnightmon."

"Wrong again," DarkKnightmon answered.

The two said nothing more. They charged towards each other with determination and resistance.

The former friends met. Alphamon slashed his sword of light down on DarkKnightmon. The fallen knight pivoted out of the way, causing the Seiken Gradalpha to slam into the floor and send an explosive fissure through the stone for several meters.

DarkKnightmon swung the Twin Spear in his hand, slamming one edge across Alphamon's face. He continued spinning the spear, aiming the other end for Alphamon's chest. The Lord of the Empty Seat used his wings to fly into the air, dodging the blow. As he ascended, he slammed his boot into DarkKnightmon's face to pay him back. The treacherous knight scowled at the blow and continued spinning his spear, creating a cyclone of shadows around himself.

"Treason Vortex!" he called out, creating a dark, abyssal maelstrom that engulfed Alphamon.

Alphamon felt himself being buffeted and beaten by the shadows around him, tossing him around the umbrous tornado. He snarled and swung his holy sword strongly, dragging the blade of light down the shadowy vortex. Despite his pain, Alphamon extinguished the attack, hacking through it with several precise strokes.

"Digitalize of Soul!" he shouted, firing a strong emerald beam from his palm that slammed into DarkKnightmon's chest. Alphamon descended on DarkKnightmon, swiping his weapon down on him with a low, whirring sound.

Although his chest armour smoked, DarkKnightmon darted to the side to avoid the slash. He drove the side of his Twin Spear into Alphamon's face. The metal crashed against Alphamon's face mask and caused his head to jerk backwards. DarkKnightmon whipped the spear around again and then thrust the lance forwards, stabbing into Alphamon's wing, where the golden feathers protrude from. Alphamon let out a roar of pain and drove his palm into DarkKnightmon's face, releasing a small blast of emerald energy upon contact.

DarkKnightmon snarled and clutched his face with a hand, pained and blinded for a few seconds. He wildly slashed his spear, dragging the point down Alphamon's chest armour and blasting him with a powerful discharge of shadows. The beam slammed into Alphamon's armour and sent him crashing onto his back.

The Lord of the Empty Seat grimaced, his form battered and wafting with smoke. He slowly started to sit up to see DarkKnightmon charging with, the treasonous knight's eyes cold and angry.

DarkKnightmon stabbed his spear down at Alphamon. Alphamon moved out of the way so that only his cape was pierced by the weapon. He knew that DarkKnightmon was now exposed, so he struck. He stabbed the Seiken Gradalpha up into DarkKnightmon's left shoulder, deliberately missing his chest. A snarl of pain and agony bellowed from DarkKnightmon's throat as the ethereal sword pierced through DarkKnightmon's armour and impaled his shoulder.

DarkKnightmon looked down at Alphamon, his eyes glowing a fearsome red hue. The knight raised his foot and began slamming his boot down on Alphamon's face repeatedly. As he stomped on Alphamon, DarkKnightmon stabbed the Twin Spear into Alphamon's arm.

In utter pain, Alphamon released the Seiken Gradalpha, causing it to evaporate in a flash of light. Released from the sword's hold, DarkKnightmon withdrew his lance and spun it over his head, one-handed.

"Treason Vortex!" DarkKnightmon called. He pressed hit foot down on Alphamon's neck, holding the Royal Knight in place as the dark maelstrom consumed them.

Pain flooded through Alphamon's body as the dark power burned at his form, fractured his armour, and crushed him with its pressure. Pieces of the great hall's ceiling began to crash to the ground and shatter.

When the vortex subsided, DarkKnightmon aimed the Twin Spear down at Alphamon's body. With zero range between them, he released a massive beam that blasted Alphamon further into the ground.

Alphamon groaned and was hardly able to resist as DarkKnightmon picked him up by the collar. DarkKnightmon looked Alphamon in the eyes. He pressed the Twin Spear against Alphamon's chest and fired a final beam against his body. Alphamon tried to fire two Digitalize of Soul blasts from his hands, but he wasn't able to launch them until it was too late, causing them to miss DarkKnightmon and rip up the floor on both sides of the dark knight. The Lord of the Empty Seat was thrown through the air by the vicious blast and he crashed to the ground at the base of what was left of the shattered stone table that they used to use.

This time, Alphamon didn't get back up.

He lay on the ground, trying to move, but his muscles protested and refused to comply.

DarkKnightmon stalled for a few seconds, making sure that what he was seeing was the truth. When those moments passed, DarkKnightmon started to slowly move towards Alphamon. His whole body burned with pain. His left arm trembled from when it had been stabbed, and blood trickled out from the wound on his hips. He felt like one of his ribs may have been broken, and there wasn't one part of his body that wasn't bruised.

However... he won and he knew it.

Alphamon watched as DarkKnightmon stalked towards him. He seemed barely able to carry himself now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

DarkKnightmon loomed over Alphamon's defeated form. He looked Alphamon over carefully. Alphamon merely grimaced and looked up at him.

Suddenly, DarkKnightmon began to laugh. His eyes gleamed as he chuckled darkly at the situation.

"I did it... I defeated the Royal Knights on my own..." he proclaimed, calmly laughing to himself. "I didn't need the mercenaries after all."

"D...DarkKnightmon..." Alphamon weakly said between haggard breaths.

DarkKnightmon looked down at Alphamon with a small smirk behind his scuffed mask. "Don't you see, Alphamon...? Look at what Digimon can accomplish when they let go of their petty qualms and inhibitions..." he told him.

DarkKnightmon placed his foot on Alphamon's chest, pressing down. Alphamon grimaced and gave a grunt of protest, futilely trying to push back.

"Now all that's left is to deal with your friend OuRyuumon, but that won't be a problem," DarkKnightmon told him calmly, despite the pain that he felt. "You can rest assured, Alphamon. I still have compassion. I won't kill you and the other knights; you'll just have to be placed in the dungeons."

Alphamon narrowed his eyes defiantly. However, something suddenly shone in the corner of his vision.

"I... wouldn't be so sure..." a voice boldly said. "Final Elysion!"

DarkKnightmon's eyes widened. He turned towards the voice, but it was too late. A beam surged across the great hall and engulfed DarkKnightmon, throwing him off of Alphamon, who was spared the impact of the beam above him.

The beam subsided slowly, leaving DarkKnightmon on his back several meters away from Alphamon. The Lord of the Empty Seat looked over to see Dukemon sitting in a crater, leaning against the Gram lance which was stabbed into the floor behind him, and holding the Aegis in front of his body. The shield slowly stopped glowing and he offered a faint grin.

"I'm not going to let DarkKnightmon do what he wants with me," he said weakly.

"Me... neither..." Dynasmon said, He lay on his side and weakly aimed one of his large hands at DarkKnightmon.

"F-Fools," DarkKnightmon said, getting to a knee and using his spear to hold himself up.

"Dragon's Roar," Dynasmon spoke, firing a single blast of light towards the knight.

DarkKnightmon dug deep and swiftly stood to his feet. He raised his spear upwards and slashed it down, but the beam broke through his defenses and exploded against his chest. He let out a brief shout of pain and frustration as the explosion quaked through his armour.

Another bloodied and beaten Royal Knight began to protest as well. Magnamon glared and propped himself up on his left forearm, pressing his other hand against the ground to elevate himself further.

"Plasma Shoot!" he called out. Four missiles launched from Magnamon's shoulder armour and steamed through the air towards DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon, who was still trying to recover from Dynasmon's debilitating attack, had no time to defend himself or escape. The four missiles converged on him and exploded in a large explosion that rocked the weakened foundations of the castle, causing more stone to collapse.

Omegamon knocked pieces of rubble off of his body and weakly raised his fractured Garuru Cannon, taking aim at DarkKnightmon. "_I'm sorry, DarkKnightmon,_" he thought to himself. "Garuru Cannon!"

Omegamon fired a powerful blast from the Garuru Cannon, which shattered around his arm as soon as the blast left the muzzle. The orb sailed into the remnants of the explosion and collided with DarkKnightmon's chest, creating another explosion.

DarkKnightmon shouted out and was sent flying through the air, crashing into the base of the dilapidated wall.

Alphamon grimaced and rolled onto his stomach. His tattered cape hung over his side as he slowly got to his hands and knees, forcing his muscles to obey him. After several difficult seconds of struggle, Alphamon finally stood up. He looked over his shoulder and gave his fellow Royal Knights an appreciative gaze, before turning to DarkKnightmon.

He walked towards DarkKnightmon, summoning the Seiken Gradalpha in his hand once again.

DarkKnightmon grimaced and slowly tried to raise himself to his feet. He and Alphamon were both as damaged as one another. With resistance and defiance, DarkKnightmon stood to his feet, his whole body trembling. His pupil-less yellow eyes narrowed and glared at Alphamon. He wouldn't be defeated... Not when he was so close. He wouldn't let Alphamon take this victory from him.

He gripped the Twin Spear and weakly raised it.

Alphamon charged DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon stabbed the spear towards Alphamon.

Alphamon swerved out of the way of the Twin Spear, which grazed his side in a flurry of sparks. The Lord of the Empty Seat pressed his hand on the Twin Spear and blasted it away with a Digitalize of Soul blast. The spear went spinning out of DarkKnightmon's grip. Alphamon unleashed a strained yell as he slashed the Seiken Gradalpha diagonally down DarkKnightmon's body, tearing through his armour and burning his chest with holy light.

The sword left DarkKnightmon's armour and he lurched forwards, falling to his knees. The light in his yellow eyes began to dull and he fell to his side with a crash. The knight fell into unconsciousness.

Panting with exhaustion, Alphamon withdrew his sword and held it out to the side. He looked down at DarkKnightmon's unconscious body and his anger and battle-adrenaline began to fade.

"Is everybody okay?" he called out.

Dukemon groaned. "I think I'll live," he answered, trying to stand to his feet.

"Me too..." Magnamon said, painfully getting to his hands and knees.

Omegamon and Dynasmon both nodded and tried to move as well.

"OuRyuumon?" Alphamon said, remembering that he had been fighting Captain MirageGaogamon. He grew concerned for his friend. In their states, they wouldn't be able to be much help against the treasonous captain. Moreover, the sounds of fighting coming from the other end of the great hall had stopped.

"Fine," a voice rasped.

The Royal Knights turned to see OuRyuumon walking down the expansive, ruined hall towards them. There were bloody cuts and burns all over his body, and his armour was scratched and fractured in several places. His eyes were bloodshot and wide with rage, and his hair was frazzled and burnt in some places. However, his tail was wrapped tightly around the neck and shoulders of the unconscious body of MirageGaogamon, who he dragged behind him. Behind him, the front wall of the great hall that lead to the foyer was completely gone, and much of the foyer was destroyed by the fighting.

Alphamon sighed with relief. He seemed like he was okay.

"I can't believe they would do this..." Magnamon said, looking at MirageGaogamon and DarkKnightmon.

"Me neither..." Dynasmon muttered grimly.

"I can," OuRyuumon spat, releasing his tail's grip around MirageGaogamon dropping him near the Royal Knights. He clutched one of the deeper cuts on his arm, glared and looked over at the unconscious knight. "DarkKnightmon anyways... I didn't know MirageGaogamon was plotting with him."

"Do you think there's anybody else?" Omegamon asked.

Alphamon shrugged. "They might have approached others, like DarkKnightmon approached most of you, but these two were the only ones that showed up. Still... we'll need to be cautious..." he told them.

"I don't get it," Dynasmon said, grimacing as he clutched his side with pain. "OuRyuumon said that DarkKnightmon fell off a building, but then he comes in here and starts attacking us? That doesn't make sense." He looked over at OuRyuumon.

OuRyuumon felt his insides churn. He began to wonder if DarkKnightmon would tell them what OuRyuumon had done to him when he woke up. Even if Alphamon was his best friend, he doubted he'd be able to look past an attempted murder, even if it was justified in OuRyuumon's opinion. His bloodshot, violet eyes shot to the rubble-covered floor as he tried to think of an excuse.

"Maybe the fall rattled his brain," Dukemon said with a shrug. "Pain can make you do funny things. Still... MirageGaogamon never would have just followed him if they hadn't already been planning it. I dunno... It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it?"

"More importantly, what do we do with him now?" Magnamon asked, frowning and looking over at DarkKnightmon. "And MirageGaogamon too..."

OuRyuumon limped over to Alphamon's side. He looked at him and then down at DarkKnightmon. "You should delete him," OuRyuumon told him with a slight grimace. His instincts for self-preservation were in full swing. If DarkKnightmon told them what happened, he was convinced that it would be curtains for him as well. He knew DarkKnightmon would use that as his final blow to the Royal Knights. He might even try to use it as a defence for his actions. Though even if that weren't the case, he still felt bitter at him for betraying them.

"OuRyuumon!" Dukemon scolded, although it sent a blast of pain through his body to shout, making him cringe. "I'm... furious at him too, but we can't just kill him... Until now, he's been a friend to us."

"Trying to wipe you all out? Conspiring against Alphamon? Yeah. He's been a fucking great friend," OuRyuumon retorted.

"Still. That's kind of extreme, don't you think?" Dynasmon said.

Magnamon placed his palm on a bleeding cut on his arm. "I have to agree..."

Omegamon nodded as well. He looked over at Alphamon, who was staring at DarkKnightmon as he contemplated their words.

Grimacing, Alphamon gazed down at his hand to contemplate his sword.

"Do you?" OuRyuumon insisted, narrowing his eyes at them. "I don't. If we let him live, he's just going to conspire with more Digimon and start another coup. He can't be trusted. He'll probably say or do anything to get his way. Right, Alphamon?"

Alphamon didn't reply. He continued to look at the Seiken Gradalpha in thought.

"That may be..." Omegamon said. "But there has to be another way."

"In some places, treason is an executable offence," OuRyuumon suggested, although he felt somewhat uncomfortable saying so.

"We have higher standards here," Dukemon spoke. "Besides, we can't kill someone who's unconscious..."

"Between his fall and the fight here, he's probably on the brink of death," OuRyuumon said, beginning to grasp at straws. "It'd probably be a mercy..."

Alphamon narrowed his eyes fiercely. His sword hovered over DarkKnightmon's body, his hand trembling...

"No," he spoke resolutely. He vanquished the Seiken Gradalpha in a wisp of light. "Who's the most able to move?"

"Maybe me..." Dukemon said, although he seemed to have trouble staying on his feet, evidence by the fact that he was using the Gram as a crutch.

Alphamon began. "Can you find-"

"No need," Dukemon interrupted, looking down the destroyed hall at the desolate foyer and pointing weakly.

The other knights turned to see Zero ARMS: Grani flying in, followed by several Knightmon, a Gladimon, a Gigadramon, and a Tyrannomon.

Grani sped forwards, stopping in front of the Royal Knights. His eyes widened when he saw Dukemon's battle-wounded body. "Dukemon!" he exclaimed. "Everyone! What happened here?" he asked with urgency in his normally calm voice.

"DarkKnightmon happened," Dynasmon explained, grimacing and pointing over to the dark knight.

"What...?" Grani asked.

"He and MirageGaogamon attacked us, trying to take over the Order," Dukemon said.

Grani was at a loss for words.

Alphamon turned to Grani and the Digimon with him. "Restrain DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon and bring them to Duskmon for medical treatment. When they're treated, lock them in the dungeons," he commanded.

"Alphamon..." OuRyuumon pleaded, grimacing. "Think about this..."

"I have, OuRyuumon," Alphamon replied firmly. "And I've made my decision..."

OuRyuumon looked away in defeat. He knew that he wasn't able to convince Alphamon otherwise. He half-wondered if maybe he could convince Alphamon to gag DarkKnightmon so at least he wouldn't be able to tell Alphamon what had happened on the tower.

Alphamon looked over DarkKnightmon's unconscious body, a sad expression growing on his face. He sighed and turned to the Zero ARMS with a serious, commanding gaze.

"And Grani..." he told him. "Locate Imperialdramon Paladin Mode."

* * *

><p>A few days had passed since that fateful day. The first level of the castle headquarters was horribly damaged. They were still in the process of cleaning everything up. Large parts of the higher levels had to be removed so that they didn't end up collapsing. A complete overhaul of much of the main building was required for the eventual repairs.<p>

In addition, the Order's morale had taken a huge hit. The fact that one of the Royal Knights and the Captain of the Defence Forces had betrayed Alphamon caused a lot of gossip among the Digimon about what might have happened. They both had been well-respected Digimon, so many of the members or the Order were upset by the revelation. The talk only increased when Imperialdramon Paladin Mode returned after a very lengthy absence.

The Royal Knights stood outside of the castle walls, in a large, green field. The warm, midday sun loomed over the group.

Alphamon, Omegamon, Dukemon, Magnamon, and Dynasmon all stood side-by-side. They were clad in their armour, but, under that armour, they still sported bandages and splints over their wounds and injuries. Lingering behind the five were Grani and OuRyuumon. OuRyuumon was hunched somewhat, as if ducking behind Dynasmon and Alphamon's large bodies.

Standing in front of them was DarkKnightmon. His Twin Spear and his shoulder-mounted axe had both been confiscated for safety purposes. His arms were placed in front of him, his wrists bound together by sturdy chains. He stood up straight in a way that retained his honour as a knight, despite the fact that he had officially been dismissed from their ranks. His accomplice, MirageGaogamon, had been transferred to the Royal Knights' high-security jail: Havelock Prison. It was located away from their headquarters, but within their territory.

On DarkKnightmon's other side, opposite to the Royal Knights, stood Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. The founder of the Order, clad in his white armour and donning his massive sword, the Omega Blade, looked at DarkKnightmon with a disappointed look on his face.

"DarkKnightmon..." he spoke to him, not with malice or anger, but almost as a friend. "Why did you do this?"

DarkKnightmon turned his head, looking over at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "If I have to repeat myself... it was for the Order that you created, Imperialdramon," he explained calmly.

"What you did... you went against your oath," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode said to him, frowning. "Royal Knights are supposed to look out for one another..."

DarkKnightmon looked over at the Royal Knights. He slowly scanned their ranks, examining their faces, as well as trying to spot OuRyuumon behind them. "I thought that as well," he dryly answered.

Imperialdramon sighed, raising his free hand and rubbing his face. "DarkKnightmon... It pains me to have to do this... – you have no idea how much... – but I must confine you to the Dark Area. We can't let you roam free and you can't be trusted to be safely held in one of our prisons. That said, we value our past bonds with you too much to delete you."

"So, instead you're relegating me to that dark prison along with those despicable Digimon that I helped to put away?" DarkKnightmon sarcastically asked. "Touching..."

"I'm sorry, but it is the only safe option," Imperialdramon told him. "You're very strong and smart. You'll be able to handle yourself in that plane."

"Besides, you have nobody to blame but yourself for this," Dukemon told him harshly, folding his arms.

DarkKnightmon turned to the Royal Knights. His eyes stopped on Alphamon as he tried to seek OuRyuumon out. "Is that so...?"

Alphamon looked down at the ground, finding it hard to hide his feelings of guilt. He wondered if he made more allowances or tried to see DarkKnightmon's point of view more, then this would have been avoided.

OuRyuumon, who was standing behind Alphamon, grimaced at DarkKnightmon's words. For the past few days, DarkKnightmon hadn't said anything to the Royal Knights about being defenestrated by him. While he was in the dungeon, he had ample opportunity to tell them when he was being questioned about what he did. OuRyuumon wondered if he was keeping quiet to torment him for as long as possible. It was working. He had been on edge ever since.

"OuRyuumon," DarkKnightmon suddenly spoke.

OuRyuumon's heart dropped and began to start pumping furiously.

"Why are you hiding?" he asked him coolly. "Is it that hard for you to watch me being sent away?"

Some of the Royal Knights glanced over their shoulders at him. OuRyuumon tensed up and slinked over to stand beside Magnamon to prove that he wasn't afraid to see him. He suddenly felt very vulnerable, standing beside the much shorter Digimon. "No..." he muttered. As he looked at DarkKnightmon, he swiftly tried to get his story straight in his head, in case DarkKnightmon spoke out against him. He knew that DarkKnightmon only had a few minutes to inflict retribution on him, so he was prepared for an imminent accusation.

DarkKnightmon looked at him with a miniscule smile. His gold, enigmatic eyes lingered on OuRyuumon for a few moments before turning to address the Royal Knights. He turned and looked at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "Can we get this over with? I dislike goodbyes."

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode frowned and walked around to DarkKnightmon's front. "I wish you wouldn't be flippant. This isn't easy to do, you know..."

"I know," DarkKnightmon replied. He looked at the founder of the Royal Knights. "So... how long should I expect to stay in there? A few years? Until my data corrodes?"

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode frowned grimly. "Undetermined..." he told him, apologetic that he couldn't give him a certain answer. "I'm going to undo the shackles now. Please don't try anything; I have a sword."

DarkKnightmon nodded and watched as Imperialdramon undid the chain shackles on his hands. Once free, he retracted his hands and rolled his stiffed wrists. "Now I can enjoy these last moments of freedom."

"On that note... Are there any last things that you'd like to say or have us do?" Imperialdramon asked him

DarkKnightmon turned to the Royal Knights once again, his eyes ultimately landing on OuRyuumon.

OuRyuumon's muscles clenched. Behind his back, he balled his clawed fists up in anticipation. His breaths became a bit more rigorous as he awaited DarkKnightmon's response.

The shadowy knight stalled. "No..." he finally said with a calm, confident voice. "All of that can wait for the day that I finally come out."

He looked over at Alphamon, gazing into his eyes. "Only... I wish you the best of luck with the Order, Alphamon," he told him. "I fear you'll need it."

"Thank you, DarkKnightmon..." Alphamon answered quietly.

"Good luck, DarkKnightmon," Magnamon spoke up, frowning, a bit sadly.

"Yeah," Dukemon and Dynasmon added in one form or another.

As OuRyuumon looked away, releasing his bated breath through his nostrils through a long, soft, relieved sigh, Omegamon gazed at DarkKnightmon with a regretful frown.

DarkKnightmon turned to Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "You had better get on with it before they change their minds," he dryly told him.

Imperialdramon gave him a small, sad smile and turned his back to him, clutching the Omega Blade and spreading out his broad, white, wings.

"Initialize!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode exclaimed.

He held the blade over his head and then stabbed its point into the ground. The blade drove deep into the ground and a massive fissure, gleaming with light, ripped through the earth. Before him, the ground opened up. The edges of the chasm glowed white, but on the inside, deep within the depths, it was jet black.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode grunted and clutched the Omega Blade with both hands, the sword trembling and revolting as the dragon struggled to keep it in place. This was because the secure walls to the spatial distortion, located deep below the Digital World, somewhat on the same plane as the world, were trying to seal the barrier again, to both keep things in and keep things out.

"_Send my regards to Anubimon_," OuRyuumon thought to himself, not willing to speak out and risk angering DarkKnightmon enough to make him change his mind about their secret.

"A-Alphamon..." Imperialdramon Paladin Mode spoke.

Alphamon nodded and walked over to DarkKnightmon. He placed his hand on DarkKnightmon's shoulder and gently led him towards the giant fissure. "I hope you'll be alright, DarkKnightmon," he murmured to him.

"Perhaps I'll be able to make my ordered society down there," he told Alphamon ironically.

Alphamon's gaze softened and he let go of DarkKnightmon's shoulder as they approached the fissure. "Goodbye, DarkKnightmon..."

DarkKnightmon looked at him calmly. "Farewell... We will meet again," he assured him. For a split second, his gaze hardened and his facial features grew dark and cold. "I promise."

With those words, he broke away from Alphamon and walked into the fissure. As soon as his foot passed the thin threshold of light that Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's sword created, his whole body immediately vanished within the darkness.

Upon seeing DarkKnightmon disappear, Imperialdramon waited a few more seconds before wrenching the Omega Blade from the ground. When the blade left the earth, the fissure closed in on itself, automatically sealing up with a mighty crash. The sides closed in and the fracture disappeared, leaving the grassy field as immaculate as it was before.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode panted and brought the sword up to rest it on his shoulder. He took a few more strong breaths before stopping. Quietly, he turned to the Royal Knights, OuRyuumon and Grani.

They stood in grim silence. Nobody knew what to say.

DarkKnightmon was gone...


	24. Interlude

(Author's Notes: This is a mini-chapter/interlude. Basically, these two scenes didn't fit either at the end of Chapter 15 or at the beginning of Chapter 16, so I decided to post them like this.

Also, thank you for the reviews. At Brendan-Mudk, I appreciate the con-crit, and kudos for noticing the thing about Magnamon. It's always nice to know that people are paying attention to details. I've addressed that here.

Enjoy the mini-chapter. I'll have Chapter 16 up in about a week. I'm also going to start getting back to work on my other Digimon story, The Battle I Staked My Life On, but don't worry, that won't impede my progress on this story since I write them at different times of the day. So yeah, enjoy.)

**Interlude**

The Royal Knights adjourned their meeting in the council hall. It had been a long, tense, and somewhat earnest discussion. The topic had been DarkKnightmon.

The founding Royal Knights explained to the others what had happened in their opinions. They talked about DarkKnightmon's ambition, his conspiring, his challenge to Alphamon for leadership, and his sudden attack awhile later.

As the Royal Knights walked into the great hall, they began to go their separate ways. A few Royal Knights walked along side Dukemon.

"So, that is everything?" Duftmon asked, looking over at Dukemon.

"Pretty much," the crimson knight responded.

"I don't understand why he attacked out of nowhere with just himself and MirageGaogamon," UlforceVeedramon remarked, frowning. "I thought you said he was smart."

"He is," Dukemon said, "He _did_ almost beat us..."

"Yeah, but I doubt he could have known that going into it, from the way that you guys told us. Two against six? Those aren't very good odds," UlforceVeedramon said.

"You do have a point..." Examon mused, walking behind them.

Dukemon shrugged. "If we could read DarkKnightmon's mind, none of that would have happened. All we can do is guess. I think that fall might have had something to do with it," he suggested.

"If he fell from one of the towers, then that's even less reason to go attack the Royal Knights," UlforceVeedramon said with a grin.

OuRyuumon overheard their topic of conversation and tensed up. He quickly walked over to them, pushing through Examon's wing and striding beside them. "He probably wasn't thinking straight," he told them with a frown. "Anyways, there's no point thinking about 'why' now. It happened. What we have to do is make sure it doesn't happen again."

Dukemon looked over at OuRyuumon."Yeah... I guess so."

"Why keep that incident a secret to begin with?" Duftmon questioned. "It's important that everything is recorded to expand our database of knowledge, as well as for the posterity of history."

"It's our ghost in the closet," Dukemon replied. "It's kind of shameful having one of the founding Royal Knights rebel against the Order. Besides, it upsets everyone to talk about. It was easier to just pretend that it never happened."

"The guy's name was DarkKnightmon; I don't know what Imperialdramon Paladin Mode expected," UlforceVeedramon said with a chuckle. Dukemon shot him a stern glare and UlforceVeedramon slowly stopped, growing sheepish.

"He _was_ a decent guy once..." Dukemon said, frowning. "I dunno what changed."

"I never trusted him," OuRyuumon remarked in a self-congratulatory way.

Dukemon glanced over at him as they made it to the far end of the great hall. "Hey, that's great, OuRyuumon!" he sarcastically said. "It's too bad you didn't do anything about it before he attacked us."

OuRyuumon hastily opened his mouth to retort but he quickly shut it again. He grimaced and looked away, unable to reveal the truth of the matter. "Yeah... too bad..." he muttered.

"Do you suspect that he'll try to take over the Order again?" Duftmon asked. "Or is he happy simply to be free?"

"I don't know," Dukemon admitted. "He's pretty strong-willed. Then again... I can't be sure. Maybe he'll settle for a quiet life far away from here, but maybe that's just wishful thinking..."

"He's going to be a pain in our asses for as long as physically possible," OuRyuumon declared with an irate grunt. "Grani and the scouts better find him quick. Who knows what that guy is getting up to right now?"

"It's better not to speculate," Examon said.

"I'll speculate all I want," OuRyuumon challenged, sneering at him.

"You'll just make yourself agitated," Examon answered, rolling his eyes at the dragon's hostility.

"Why don't you worry about yourself and I'll worry about myself, Exadork?" the gold dragon told the red one.

"Fine..." Examon submitted diplomatically, looking over at Dukemon and UlforceVeedramon with a shrug.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled. "You'll never get a girlfriend that way, OuRyuumon," he teased.

OuRyuumon just growled and broke away from them, speeding up his pace down to the end of the great hall.

"Is he in one of his moods?" Duftmon asked.

Dukemon and UlforceVeedramon both laughed. "He must be if Duftmon's picking up on it," UlforceVeedramon declared.

Duftmon gave them an annoyed, sideways glance and continued walking.

"Oh, by the way, it's Dynasmon's induction anniversary in a week, and he's dropping pretty big hints about things that he wants," Dukemon remarked.

"If it's those dirty novels that he wants, he can forget it," Duftmon scoffed.

"I don't understand," Examon said, thinking to himself. "I thought he was one of the founding knights, but Magnamon's induction anniversary was a few weeks ago, and yours was a few weeks before that, Dukemon. Didn't you all become Royal Knights at the same time?"

"Technically, yeah, we did, but when we first made our oaths it was kind of informal. That's different from the actual ceremony, where Imperialdramon Paladin Mode knighted us with his sword and all that other stuff. You know how the ceremony goes; Alphamon gave you yours a few months ago," Dukemon explained. "So we each technically became Royal Knights at the same time, but we each had our own individual ceremonies a couple weeks apart from one another."

"Do we have to get DarkKnightmon anything for his induction anniversary?" UlforceVeedramon joked.

"Maybe a solid punch in the face," Dukemon said, cracking his knuckles. "It's about two weeks after Dynasmon's…"

"Do you think he'll try anything on that day?" Examon asked.

"It's hard to say," Dukemon answered, frowning. "I've never known DarkKnightmon to be sentimental, but then again, he's pretty good at psychological warfare and mind games. He might to screw with us."

"I'm hoping we'll be able to neutralize him by that point," Duftmon said.

"Yeah, well, don't underestimate him, Duftmon," the crimson knight told their strategist. "He was one of the smartest in the Order back before he betrayed us."

"Oh? Well I _am_ the smartest in the Order," Duftmon boldly explained. "He can't be all that clever, attacking you five immediately after being defenestrated."

By this point, the group of four had caught up to OuRyuumon, thanks to his short walking stride. OuRyuumon grunted, annoyed that the conversation kept going back to those events. He decided that he needed to stick around before they started speculating again. "Can we stop talking about that asshole? It's like he's all we talk about anymore. Let's go play darts or spar or something."

"Yeah, he's got a point. Let's try to unwind a bit," UlforceVeedramon agreed. "Worrying is useless."

Dukemon shrugged. "I guess so… Darts tournament anyone?" he suggested.

"I'm in," OuRyuumon piped up, quick to change the topic from DarkKnightmon.

"Sure," Examon concurred.

"I don't mind winning again," Ulforce remarked with a smirk.

Duftmon rolled his eyes. "I think I will pass. I have more productive things to do, such as reading."

Dukemon smirked. "Okay, Duftmon. Your loss," he told him.

"I'm sure I'll manage," Duftmon spoke, heading towards one of the corridors branching away from the foyer.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled as they began to head left, to one of the stone staircases. "Yeah. Manage to be an antisocial bookworm…"

"Wouldn't that be bookpussycat?" OuRyuumon corrected, grinning.

"Something like that," said UlforceVeedramon breezily. "The point is, he needs to get a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. You know, whatever it is that he's into."

OuRyuumon tensed up again, once again feeling uncomfortable with the topic at hand. He supposed it was at least better than DarkKnightmon.

Dukemon laughed. "The trouble is, I think 'whatever he's into' happens to be books."

* * *

><p>A lupine figure sat on his cot in a small, confined room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of meters of cold, sturdy stone. There wasn't much else in the room aside from a basic wooden chair, a desk, a sink, and a toilet. There was only one window, and it was covered with sturdy, metal bars. On the opposite side of the room were more bars, made from a durable metal that was only surpassed in durability by chrome digizoid.<p>

MirageGaogamon knew this cell inside and out. Well... perhaps not so much the 'out' part, as he had been confined inside for the past several years. His weapons had long since been confiscated and his powers neutralized by a program installed in him. His armour had also been confiscated, so he wore simple, dirty clothes. He held a book in his hands, his thumb flicking through the pages from one end to the other as he waited for a familiar sound.

The Digimon's canine ears perked up suddenly upon hearing the rhythmic clanging of metal coming from down the hall. He stood to his feet and walked to the bars that separated his cell from the hallway. He heard a voice and that of several other prisoners addressing the Digimon as he passed their cells and grew nearer to MirageGaogamon's.

The metal boots of a Rapidmon tapped against the stone floor with every step. MirageGaogamon saw the bipedal rabbit Digimon approaching his cell on his hourly round.

"Excuse me," MirageGaogamon hailed to him. When the Rapidmon turned to him, he flashed his book.

The Rapidmon guard walked over. "Yeah? What is it, MirageGaogamon?" he asked him.

"Can I get a new book?" MirageGaogamon asked him, holding the book up. "One that I haven't already read?"

"If you reread it, you might find something you didn't notice the first time," the Rapidmon said with a slight grin.

"Please," MirageGaogamon said to him, passing the book through the bars.

The Rapidmon took the book in his cannon arm. "Yeah, okay, okay," he complied, turning around. "By the way, lunch is coming in an hour."

"Thank you," MirageGaogamon replied, going to sit back down on his bed.

He lay down and closed his eyes, waiting for the guard to return.

MirageGaogamon was resigned to his new life now. He was once one of the Captains of the great Royal Knights, up until he rebelled with DarkKnightmon. While he felt some remorse for turning against the order, in principle, he didn't feel like what he did had been wrong. He had only rebelled so that he could help Digimon more effectively and he maintained that that was all that he wanted to do. It had taken him some time to get over the grim fact that he wouldn't be able to help Digimon while he was in prison, and that he was essentially being treated the same as the type of Digimon who he wanted to get rid of. The first year had been rough, but he slowly grew to adapt to life in Havelock Prison, the Royal Knights' high-security jail. However, he still felt a certain longing inside of him...

MirageGaogamon listened with his acute hearing to the sounds of the prison. There was shuffling and muffled noises coming from the other cells. There was the monotonous dripping of water coming from his sink. They were as normal as the sun and moons now. More prominently was the sound of the Rapidmon's boots hitting the floor as he walked away.

Suddenly, the sound of the guard walking stopped.

"H-Hey!" the Rapidmon's voice shouted out, a surprised, unsettled tone in his words. "Who are you?! You shouldn't be in here!"

There was a brief silence.

"GUARD- ACK!" the Rapidmon's voice choked out.

The sounds of scuffling echoed through the hall followed by the loud clamour of metal. MirageGaogamon opened his eyes and stood to his feet. He walked over to the bars to try and see what the commotion was. He couldn't see anything; it was too far down the hall. However, he could hear his fellow prisoners cheering.

Suddenly, the Rapidmon's body skidded down the hall and stopped near MirageGaogamon's cell. His book flew from the guard's unconscious body and landed at the prisoner's feet.

MirageGaogamon was shocked. Had one of the prisoners escaped? That was impossible. The prison was far too secure for one of the prisoners to break out. They all had neutralizing programs installed in them, and the bars and walls were sturdy enough to withstand even the toughest Digimon.

He got right up against the bars and peered down the hallway. He saw a shadowy silhouette stride down the hallway towards him. MirageGaogamon suddenly gripped the bars tightly, his eyes widening as he recognized the Digimon.

DarkKnightmon stepped over the Rapidmon's unconscious body and stopped in front of MirageGaogamon's cell. He turned to face him.

"Hello, Captain," DarkKnightmon said to him courteously. "It's been too long."

"D...DarkKnightmon... Sir..." MirageGaogamon breathed, staring at the former-Royal Knight in disbelief. "You're... free?"

"Miraculously," DarkKnightmon answered. "And with help, I admit."

"But how...? You were sent to the Dark Area," MirageGaogamon said, looking him up and down, unable to believe that DarkKnightmon was there.

"It's a long story. I'm here to return the good deed," the warrior said, raising the Twin Spear in his right hand, using it to steady himself as he crouched down beside the guard. He reached his hand and took an encrypted card key from inside the armour around the Rapidmon's waist.

"You need three of those to unlock a cell, Sir," MirageGaogamon told him. "Two other guards have the other keys."

DarkKnightmon smirked and reached inside his armour. He withdrew his hand and flashed three cards at MirageGaogamon. "I'm aware... I did use to be a Royal Knight, remember," he explained as he stood back up.

"Right..." MirageGaogamon sheepishly said, watching as DarkKnightmon approached the cell.

DarkKnightmon swiped the three keys in a particular order and he heard the loud, victorious sound of the barred doors unlocking.

"Hey! Us next!" one of the prisoners called to him from another cell.

DarkKnightmon ignored him and pulled the doors open with a metal sliding sound. He walked into MirageGaogamon's cell.

MirageGaogamon was still somewhat dumbfounded. "How did you... get this far into the prison? All of the guards and security..." he said.

"Like I said, I was a Royal Knight," DarkKnightmon responded. "I have the strength to defeat most any of the guards here, and I know all of the procedures as well as the layout of the prison."

MirageGaogamon nodded. He looked at DarkKnightmon uncertainly. "You plan to free me, Sir?" he asked.

"My plans are the same as they were all those years ago," DarkKnightmon replied. "I let my emotions get the best of me after OuRyuumon threw me off that tower. But even then, I almost beat them. I was so close... Think, MirageGaogamon, what we can do if we plan carefully. The Order will be ours."

MirageGaogamon grimaced and looked away. "DarkKnightmon... I'm not sure," he responded. "I'm very grateful that you went to all of this trouble for me, but... maybe they were right to lock me up. I betrayed my oath and attacked fellow members of the Order. I still agree with you, but..."

"I understand that you're nervous, MirageGaogamon, but things will be different from last time," DarkKnightmon assured him.

"There are eleven Royal Knights now. Not just five," MirageGaogamon retorted.

"I'm already in the process of gathering allies," DarkKnightmon said to him. "That's why I'm here. We will plan this operation carefully, and we won't go into it outnumbered like last time. I've already contacted a few mercenary teams who are willing to help us."

"Sir... Maybe our defeat was a sign from Yggdrasil that what we were doing was wrong. The Royal Knights fight in His name, after all..." the fallen wolf captain said with a grimace.

"Yggdrasil is irrelevant," DarkKnightmon replied curtly. "As one of the founding Royal Knights, I once fought in his name, so who is to say that _I'm_ the so-called heretic and it is not the other knights who have lost their way? If you're inclined to think that Yggdrasil's guiding hand is in play, you could say that Yggdrasil was testing us."

"I suppose..." MirageGaogamon reasoned.

"Don't rely on Yggdrasil, but on your own conscience, MirageGaogamon," the knight explained to him. "You know that what we did was right. It was for the good of the Digital World. ...Didn't you say that you lost your family to bandits? How would it feel if others lost their family in the same way and you did nothing to stop it because you had some fleeting doubts?"

MirageGaogamon winced and looked away. "Yes... You're right..." he responded, although somewhat uncertainly. "But are you sure that we can do this?"

DarkKnightmon nodded. "You've trusted in me before, haven't you?" he asked.

MirageGaogamon looked at him. "Yes..."

DarkKnightmon outstretched his hand. "So, trust me, MirageGaogamon."

The wolf Digimon looked down at his extended hand, observing it for a moment. He frowned and took it, gripping firmly. "I do."

DarkKnightmon smiled and let go, gesturing for him to come out of the cell. MirageGaogamon apprehensively stepped out into the hall. DarkKnightmon followed him. "We need to go to the weapons cache in the basement for your things," DarkKnightmon told him. "And we also have to neutralize the disabler program in you. It won't be easy, but it's achievable."

"Just tell me what to do," MirageGaogamon told him.

DarkKnightmon nodded and dragged the unconscious Rapidmon into MirageGaogamon's cell. He placed him on the bed and walked out. The knight closed the barred door and locked the guard in. "Just stay behind me and use your senses to keep a look out. I took out most of the guards, but I may have missed some. There's still the Overseer to deal with as well."

"Understood."

"Hey!" a SkullSatamon prisoner from a nearby cell shouted to them. "Aren't you gonna let us out?!"

DarkKnightmon let out a single, indignant laugh. "You must be joking... I helped put many of you in here," he explained to them derisively. "As if I would let scum like you loose..."

"Why you ugly, fucking tin can!"

Ignoring the sudden shift from cheers of excitement to shouts and profanity, DarkKnightmon turned to MirageGaogamon.

"Let's go. You'll be fighting fit in no time at all."


	25. Chapter 16: A Crack in the Armour

**Chapter 16: A Crack in the Armour**

The morning sky seemed peaceful. It was blue with large clouds interspersed within the light sapphire expanse. The sun shone brightly, its warm rays feeding the plants, flowers and grass of the Digital World in the beautiful spring time. However, not all was as good as the weather made it seem.

Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon tore through the sunny sky. The Lord of the Empty Seat lead the group, his wings expanded out behind him. OuRyuumon and Omegamon flew slightly behind him on each side. They flew south, past where the Free Area ended. As they travelled, the grass became sand and the air became dryer. The Claw Desert was home to the Mesozoic Kingdom, a kingdom of dinosaur and prehistoric Digimon that had a giant Spinomon as their king.

OuRyuumon soared using his Gaiba Daimeijin wings and looked down at the rolling, golden sands of the desert. He turned to look at Alphamon, the winds of their flying speed causing his violet hair to flutter behind him. "Are you sure that scout got it right, Alphamon?" OuRyuumon asked him, speaking loudly over the thundering wind resistance. "What would DarkKnightmon be doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"That's what I'm worried about," Alphamon responded, looking over his shoulder.

Omegamon flew along Alphamon's left side, his cape fluttering in the breeze. "He wouldn't be trying to garner support from King Spinomon, would he?" he asked.

"Doubtful," Alphamon responded. "King Spinomon would never go along with it. He's stubborn and doesn't like to get involved in affairs outside of the Mesozoic Kingdom."

"Then what could he be after...?" Omegamon wondered.

* * *

><p>DarkKnightmon stood in the sands of the Claw Desert. Opposite to him was a DinoTigermon, who observed DarkKnightmon keenly. Behind the DinoTigermon were several prehistoric Digimon, among them a MasterTyrannomon, a Pteromon X, a Triceramon, and Vermillimon. They watched DinoTigermon as he talked with DarkKnightmon.<p>

"So... Whad'ya want our services for exact-ly?" the giant smilodon asked, looking down at the knight who stood several inches shorter than the massive feline. "'DarkKnightmon, wuzzit?"

"I need your martial skills in order to attack the Royal Knights and take over the Order," DarkKnightmon explained.

"Martial skills?" DinoTigermon asked, cocking an eyebrow and looking at DarkKnightmon like he was crazy. "I'm not even wed! Whad'you need martial skills for anyways if you want to take over the Order? Are you plannin' to marry one of 'em?!"

"'Martial', boss. Not 'marital'," the Pteromon X spoke up, trying his best not to snicker with the others. "It means fighting skills."

"H-Shut up! I didn't ask you!" the DinoTigermon snapped, shooting a glare over his shoulder. "Okay, so you want my mer-cenary team to kick their asses. You do know these're the Royal Knights, right? As in, some of the best fighters on the continent? Me and my co-horts are pretty damn strong, but not enough to take down all of 'em."

"You won't be alone," DarkKnightmon assured him. "I have others at my disposal as well. I've hired several other mercenary teams as well."

"Yeah? What ones?" the mercenary leader asked, narrowing his eyes. "You can forget it if you asked Kowloon Co. We don't work with scum."

"Neither do I," DarkKnightmon answered. "I haven't asked them, or other shady groups like Black Pincer Company. On my side, I have elements of the Dune Troopers, the Valancers, the Licht Gruppe, and the Cimmerian Adventurers."

"Hm... We can work with those, I guess..." DinoTigermon said, thinking to himself. "And the pay? It better be pretty big for somethin' like this."

"Of course. Provided the job is completed," DarkKnightmon explained. "If I hire you, don't feel that you have to kill the Royal Knights. Incapacitating them would be much better, at least for the founding members. It's better for my image."

"Wait wait wait. Hold on. What d'you mean, 'if I hire you'?" the mercenary leader asked with a sneer.

"I need to make sure that you and your team are capable first. I'm not hiring a team that doesn't know left from right. I can't have my plans screwed up from simple oversights."

DinoTigermon let out a huff. "Fine. You can test us. How d'you want to do that?"

DarkKnightmon's gaze shifted from DinoTigermon. Instead of looking at him, he was looking past the large feline Digimon. There was something in the sky. Three things, actually... Distant shapes.

"The Royal Knights are coming," he explained, still looking past the mercenary.

"...What?" the DinoTigermon asked, his eyes widening. He spun around and looked to where DarkKnightmon was gazing. In the distance he saw three figures. "That can't be! Everyone, get ready!"

"Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon..." DarkKnightmon calmly spoke.

DinoTigermon snarled and looked over his shoulder at DarkKnightmon. "Was this a set up?!"

"Don't be ridiculous," DarkKnightmon said, summoning his Twin Spear in a blast of darkness. "We must have been spotted by one of their scouts. Just consider this an opportunity to show me what you can do against them. There's only two plus the dragon."

"'Only' he says!" the Pteromon X said, locking his missiles into place. "Side Winder!"

Missiles steamed from the mechanical pterodactyl's wings and screeched through the air towards the three incoming Royal Knights.

Alphamon looked at Omegamon and OuRyuumon as the barrage of eight missiles flew towards them. "They're firing at us. Hostiles confirmed," he told them.

The three broke off in different directions to avoid the missiles. Alphamon flew down, OuRyuumon shot right, and Omegamon swerved to the left. As the salvo of missiles passed between them, Omegamon spun around and aimed his Garuru Cannon at the ordnance. He fired a blast of blue, freezing energy from his cannon. The shining sphere ripped through the missiles, blowing them up in mid air.

As eight explosions detonated in the sky, the three flew down in front of the explosions and met again.

"DarkKnightmon's definitely there!" OuRyuumon told them, pointing with one of his swords to the black figure behind the mobilizing mercenaries.

"Then we can't afford to mess around," Alphamon decreed. "OuRyuumon, you and I know what to do. Omegamon, can you take out the others and then provide us back up? We'll take out a few as we go to meet him."

"Understood, Alphamon," Omegamon replied, nodding.

He broke away from the two and started firing on the mercenary group with his cannon. Icy explosions blossomed up around the Digimon, the odd, unlucky one getting vaporized by a blast.

"Get ready, OuRyuumon," Alphamon said, extending his arm out in front of him, his palm open.

"I am," OuRyuumon replied, flying in front of Alphamon to face him.

Alphamon nodded and he began to concentrate. A glowing circle suddenly formed just in front of his palm. The resplendent, blue circle grew wider and orbs and digi-letters formed inside of it. Within those, a second ring grew and they grew as wide as his body. Alphamon looked into OuRyuumon's eyes.

OuRyuumon returned the gaze into Alphamon's eyes and their hearts became in sync with one another's. OuRyuumon narrowed his eyes and he burst forward, through the rings, and his body became encased in light.

"Alphamon!"

"OuRyuumon!"

"Jogress Shinka!"

OuRyuumon's large, shining body swept into Alphamon's and the black knight became engulfed in the same brilliant light. Alphamon's wings sprouted rows of long, majestic, golden feathers longer than his arms, much longer than his wings were before. In his right hand, a giant, magnificent pole-arm formed from OuRyuumon's body. It had a long, black shaft with gold notches and ornamentation along it. On the back end, there was a small, back-facing crescent blade below small, blades jutting out from the main point. On the main end was a massive, double-sided axe made up of OuRyuumon's Gaiba Daimeijin wings. They formed the giant blade of the gold and black "sword".

"Alphamon: Ouryuken!"

OuRyuumon was gone, completely infused into the sword that Alphamon now held. His form was now completely focused on offence, while Alphamon could make the decisions as he saw fit. On top of that, Alphamon's power was increased phenomenally.

Alphamon: Ouryuken burst from the light and flapped his regal wings powerfully. He ripped through the air towards the group of mercenaries.

For a split second, DarkKnightmon's eyes widened and he gripped his Twin Spear just a bit harder. He narrowed his gaze and pointed his spear at Alphamon. "Attack!" he commanded, firing a powerful beam of shadows from his spear.

Just as the mercenaries began to prepare to attack, Omegamon dropped from the sky and cleaved the Pteramon X in two with a vertical slash of his Grey Sword. He swept his cannon through the scattering data and unleashed a blast from his Garuru Cannon, obliterating the MasterTyrannomon beside him.

Alphamon: Ouryuken flapped his wings, swerving to the side to avoid the blast that DarkKnightmon fired at him by only a foot. He glided alongside the blast as the shadows dissipated and crackled out, continuing his diagonal descent.

"Wh-What is that?!" DinoTigermon demanded, his eyes wide with terror. "Alphamon can evolve?!"

"He can jogress with OuRyuumon," DarkKnightmon spoke with a dire tone, crossing his spear in front of him. While he kept his gaze primarily on Alphamon, he didn't let Omegamon out of his vision either. "As far as I know, he's never been defeated in that form..."

"And we're supposed to fight that?!" the mercenary protested.

"There's no choice now," DarkKnightmon spoke, getting ready to defend himself. He dashed to the side when a blast from Omegamon's Garuru Cannon swallowed up another mercenary and proceeded towards him. He ignored the shower of sand that rained down on him and turned to watch Alphamon: Ouryuken close in on them.

DinoTigermon hissed and lunged towards Alphamon. "You're not the only one with a X-Antibody! Highland Fang!" he shouted at the Royal Knight, bearing his massive fangs.

Alphamon continued soaring, undeterred by the attacking enemy. He suddenly flapped his wings and spun in his flight, crossing in front of DinoTigermon to his right side. His blade, the Kyukyoku Senjin Ouryuken, swung through the air. With a mighty heave, one of a complete control and concentration, as was needed to be able to wield the Ouryuken, Alphamon swung the Ouryuken towards DinoTigermon mightily. The ultra sharp blade connected with DinoTigermon and slashed clean through his cyborg body.

"WHAAAT?!" was all he could roar before bursting into data.

As the blade left the mercenary's fracturing body and emerged out of his data, Alphamon continued ceaselessly towards his opponents. He held the poleaxe behind him as he descended on them, the hyper-offensive weapon poised to strike again in a moment's notice.

DarkKnightmon's eyes narrowed as the mega level mercenary leader was destroyed in a single swing. The rest of the mercenaries there didn't stand a chance before the combined strengths of Omegamon and Alphamon: Ouryuken. He wasn't positive that he could defeat Alphamon while he was in that Mega II level form, especially not with Omegamon there as well. While he was strong, so was Alphamon; Alphamon was arguably the strongest Royal Knight, and DarkKnightmon used to be able to only fight him to a draw on one of his better days. With OuRyuumon as his sword, that gave Alphamon a decisive advantage. However, he knew that Alphamon wouldn't let him just retreat. He had to think of something...

However, he had to think on his feet. Alphamon was upon them.

Alphamon landed on the ground with a crash, sending sand flying up all around him from where his boots connected with the ground. He burst through the wave of sand and cleaved the Ouryuken into a Stegomon, turning another Digimon into data. He spun around and, effortlessly, it seemed, slashed the holy sword through a charging Vermillimon, easily breaking through the Digimon's armoured body.

"Kyukyoku Senjin Ouryuken!" Alphamon called out. He slashed the Ouryuken behind him, sending a razor sharp blast of wind through the air from the blade, tearing through the sky.

The air cut through all but a few of the remaining mercenaries, the rest of whom were beset by Omegamon. They were destroyed by the overwhelming power of the Ouryuken.

DarkKnightmon glared at Alphamon, gripping the Twin Spear tightly. He inspected the Digimon and silently thought, although ready to act in a moment.

Meanwhile, Omegamon clashed with a Cannondramon, flying over the mercenary's expansive back and hacking his Grey Sword through the sauropod's cannons. The weapons exploded and Omegamon landed on the Cannondramon's back, ducking under his whipping tail and embedding the Grey Sword in the dinosaur's armoured back. He then fired a blast from the Garuru Cannon through the Cannondramon, jumped back, and slammed the side of his cannon into the face of a WarGreymon who tried to sneak up on him. He fired the Garuru Cannon into the WarGreymon's chest and sent him crashing into the sand in a wave, his armour splintered.

As the Cannondramon's data became mixed within a gust of sandy wind, Alphamon turned to the remaining four mercenaries. "Get out of here!" he ordered them, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Before we change our minds."

The three mercenaries dropped their weapons and raced to help the wounded WarGreymon mercenary. They retreated without needing to hear another word.

"Still as soft as ever, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon spoke, eyeing him carefully.

Alphamon slowly turned around to face him. His long cape and majestic wings sailed in the blustery desert breeze. His red eyes flashed as he observed DarkKnightmon.

"And you're still as conniving as ever," Alphamon told the former Royal Knight.

"Again, I'm hurt by one of your blows," DarkKnightmon calmly replied. "I could have been visiting a friend for all you know. You might have just destroyed a bunch of innocent Digimon."

"They attacked us first," Alphamon told him, taking a few steps towards the dark knight.

"Alright. Fine..." DarkKnightmon responded, shifting his lance slightly in his hand.

Alphamon: Ouryuken kicked off the sandy ground and flapped his wings, sweeping up the golden sand behind him as he tore towards DarkKnightmon. As he did so, Omegamon darted to the side, his cannon trained on DarkKnightmon and ready to fire in case he got out of Alphamon's range.

Alphamon wound his arm back and raised the Ouryuken over his head, bringing the blade down on DarkKnightmon with a swift, powerful blow.

As the weapon dropped like a hammer, DarkKnightmon raised the Twin Spear and blocked it, both hands on the lance. Sparks exploded out from the clashing weapons like a fountain. The Ouryuken pummelled the Twin Spear violently although he managed to block it. The sheer power from the blow nearly caused DarkKnightmon's legs to buckle underneath the enormous pressure. His arms nearly gave way as well; strain shot through his body like a lightning bolt. The power of the Ouryuken was greater than he thought.

DarkKnightmon held against the blade for a couple seconds before giving way and jumping back. Omegamon took this opportunity to fire a frigid sphere from his cannon. DarkKnightmon, prepared for a bilateral assault, swept out his lance and fired a beam of darkness at the incoming azure blast. The two attacks collided and exploded in the air in a purple, blue, and white detonation.

DarkKnightmon landed on his feet and skidded along the sand in a standing position, coming to a stop in a defensive stance.

"Surrender, DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon told him sternly.

"So you can send me back to the Dark Area?" DarkKnightmon asked him, stalling for time as he thought. "I think not. I just wish to live a quiet life."

"I wish I could believe you," Alphamon answered. "But I can't. However, if you surrender, we'll go easy on you."

"Is that so...?" DarkKnightmon questioned. He carefully examined Alphamon's form. He thought to himself about what to do about his predicament, pensively going over several options in his mind. "_How does one counter a jogress...?_" he wondered to himself.

Then, his gaze landed on the Ouryuken in Alphamon's right hand. "_By severing the bond..._" he answered himself with a tiny smile behind his metal mask.

He took a step forwards and lowered his Twin Spear disarmingly. "It's been ages since I've seen you in your Ouryuken form, Alphamon," he said collectedly. "Years... as you well know."

"I'm aware of that..." Alphamon said, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't about to let his guard down with DarkKnightmon.

Omegamon walked towards Alphamon cautiously. He kept the Garuru Cannon pointed at DarkKnightmon.

"So, OuRyuumon is with you..." DarkKnightmon spoke, eyeing the Ouryuken in Alphamon's hand.

"You know he is," Alphamon said, emphatically raising the blood-laced, sandy pole-weapon in his hand.

"Has he told you yet?" DarkKnightmon questioned, lowering his weapon fully, to show his diplomatic intentions.

"Told me...?" the leader of the Royal Knights asked, frowning.

"His secret..." the fugitive spoke ominously.

Alphamon's eyes widened slightly at DarkKnightmon's words, his interest suddenly piqued. He wondered if DarkKnightmon knew about OuRyuumon's sexual orientation. However, OuRyuumon had told him that he hadn't told anybody, and he and OuRyuumon weren't a couple back before DarkKnightmon's betrayal, so he couldn't have found them out by accident. "What are you talking about?" Alphamon found himself asking.

Omegamon silently glanced between DarkKnightmon and Alphamon, although he remained ready for any trick that their old comrade might pull.

DarkKnightmon couldn't help but smirk. "No, I suppose he wouldn't have..." he said, looking at the Ouryuken in Alphamon's hand. "Well... now would be the ideal time to tell you, now that he is in the state that he's in. After all... what cannot speak cannot lie."

Alphamon frowned at him. It didn't register to him at the time, but if he weren't focused on DarkKnightmon, he would have been able to notice the slight trembling emanating from the shaft of the Ouryuken. "Whichever lies that reach my ears will be coming from you," the Lord of the Empty Seat retorted. "I have more reason to trust OuRyuumon than I do you."

"If that's what you think, you really are naive and foolish, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon said darkly. His yellow eyes flashed. "At one point, I thought that he was my friend too. You don't know what he's capable of..."

Alphamon suddenly went quiet. What an odd thing for DarkKnightmon to say. It would make sense that DarkKnightmon would feel betrayed by himself and the other Royal Knights, but he didn't even approach OuRyuumon during that conspiracy back then, nor did he and OuRyuumon physically fight in that battle. Sure, the two always argued from time to time, but it never seemed like they particularly hated each other to Alphamon.

"...What do you mean?" Alphamon asked against his better judgement.

Omegamon frowned as well. He suddenly felt an uneasy feeling inside of him. He didn't like where this was going, but at the same time, he was curious as well.

"After our fight, all those years ago, when I was being treated by Duskmon while in your captivity..." DarkKnightmon began. "He said that I sustained damage from a fall prior to the fight."

"Yes..." Alphamon tentatively affirmed. "A few of the night guards also said that you fell from the tower before heading towards the castle..."

"...Didn't you ever wonder about that?" DarkKnightmon queried, his brows furrowed. "It must have seemed odd."

"I was told that you fell from the tower accidentally. There was a loose brick on the parapets," Alphamon told him, frowning suspiciously.

"Who told you that?" the dark knight asked, eyeing him steadily.

Alphamon paused. "...OuRyuumon," he said with a hint of defensiveness in his voice. "The guards corroborated what he told me. What are you getting at, DarkKnightmon?"

DarkKnightmon ignored the question. "But none of the guards actually saw me fall, correct? They only saw me after I hit the ground."

"Well... no..." the Royal Knight admitted. This time, he began to notice a definite trembling in the Ouryuken, as if OuRyuumon was protesting.

"So, they only went off what OuRyuumon said happened," DarkKnightmon said, his eyes locked with Alphamon's. "Let me tell you what really happened."

Alphamon was silent. The vibrations in the weapon became more and more apparent. He gripped the hilt tightly. "What?" he asked curtly.

"That night... before my admittedly impulsive rebellion..." DarkKnightmon calmly spoke, leering into Alphamon's eyes forcefully. "MirageGaogamon and I were talking. It was right after I challenged you, so I was speaking heatedly... I told him that I didn't want you as the Royal Knight's leader."

Alphamon narrowed his eyes quietly, but listened.

"When we departed, I began heading down the hallway towards my room to cool off. However, OuRyuumon followed me and asked me to go with him to the tower. He seemed amiable... it surprised me, considering how I just fought you, his closest and probably only friend. I agreed, and he led me up to the tower."

Omegamon winced. He definitely didn't like where this was going. "Alphamon..." he urged him.

Alphamon ignored Omegamon's voice of caution. "...Yes?" he asked DarkKnightmon roughly, glaring into his calm but honest yellow eyes.

"We reached the roof of the tower... OuRyuumon began talking to me. His demeanour became rough and violent. He started accusing me of wanting to kill you so that I could take over the Order. I know we weren't all that close, but I was shocked that he would say that; I was frustrated at the situation, sure, but something like that had never even crossed my mind. He then started calling me a liar and a traitor. I tried to tell him otherwise, but then he grabbed me by the collar." DarkKnightmon paused and looked into Alphamon's eyes. "...He pushed me off that tower, Alphamon. I didn't fall. He made it look like an accident. That's what made me do what I did..."

Alphamon's eyes grew wider and a tight, sickening feeling began to form in his chest. He had convinced himself that DarkKnightmon would be lying, however... many of the things that DarkKnightmon had said sounded like they could be possible. He remembered, that after DarkKnightmon had challenged him, OuRyuumon said that he was going to use the bathroom. He had been an unusually long time... Alphamon's gaze hardened. "I don't believe you..." he said defiantly.

"I'm telling the truth, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon told him with an annoyed frown. "Look beyond your feelings for once."

"I am doing that!" Alphamon barked at him angrily.

"Then _think_," DarkKnightmon said with a cold glare. "Why would I be up on that tower alone? And do you really think I'm incompetent enough to fall off a building by sitting on a loose stone?"

Alphamon was silent for a few moments. "Accidents happen," he replied dismissively, looking away from the knight.

"That's what you would like to believe..." DarkKnightmon answered. "Then, tell me... Where was OuRyuumon at the time?"

"He went to use the washroom," Alphamon answered. The sick, uneasy feeling lingered in his stomach as he spoke.

"Then how did he know that I fell off the tower?" the shadowy knight reasoned.

"I..." Alphamon paused. He didn't have a good answer for that. He didn't know how OuRyuumon knew that he had fallen off of the tower; it never crossed his mind until then. "P-Perhaps one of the guards told him?"

"You're creating excuses for him, Alphamon. You know, in your heart, I am telling the truth," DarkKnightmon told him emphatically.

"I know OuRyuumon better than anybody! He wouldn't do that!" Alphamon shouted in protest.

Omegamon was silent.

"...Wouldn't he?" DarkKnightmon asked him. He looked at Omegamon. "What's your opinion, Omegamon? Don't you think that that's something OuRyuumon might do?"

Omegamon grimaced and looked away from both DarkKnightmon and Alphamon. He didn't confirm DarkKnightmon's words, but he didn't deny them either.

"Omegamon can't even deny it… If you know OuRyuumon better than anybody, you should know that that is something that he _would_ do..." DarkKnightmon said emphatically. "Are you trying to tell me that OuRyuumon isn't violent? That he isn't hotheaded and impulsive? That he isn't jealous and petty? That he doesn't take pleasure in fighting and killing?"

Alphamon shut his eyes and raised his left hand to rub his forehead. "He... He wouldn't try to murder you..." Alphamon insisted, but without the vigor and confidence that he previously had.

DarkKnightmon watched Alphamon with calm, composed, fervent eyes. "On my honour, Alphamon... He did."

The Lord of the Empty Seat gazed into DarkKnightmon eyes with a grimace. Although he didn't trust DarkKnightmon, he had an increasingly hard time believing that he was lying. His breathing became heavy and his heart raced. The doubt grew in his mind and in his heart. More and more, he started to consider that OuRyuumon might really have defenestrated DarkKnightmon. These fears and worries were only amplified by the way the Ouryuken seemed to protest in his right hand.

Suddenly, Alphamon's form was consumed with light. Alphamon and OuRyuumon separated from each other. The gold dragon flew onto the ground and Alphamon staggered away from him.

DarkKnightmon watched silently. The jogress was broken.

"I'll leave you to discuss your issues," he told them, aiming the Twin Spear at the ground in front of him. The lance pulsed with shadows and dark energy.

"Wait!" Alphamon shouted, turning towards him abruptly.

DarkKnightmon fired a massive beam from his lance into the ground, creating a giant explosion of darkness and sand that spilled into the air. Alphamon, Omegamon, and OuRyuumon braced themselves as the blast swept over them, the sand stinging them and the concussion from the explosion nearly knocking them off their feet.

When the explosion faded, all that was left was a smoking crater in the desert. The shadows dissipated and the sand began to be sucked into the crater, filling it much of it back up. DarkKnightmon was nowhere to be seen.

Omegamon grunted and began to step forwards. "I'll go after him."

"No..." Alphamon said lowly. "Don't go after him on your own. It's too dangerous; he could be hoping to split us up."

"That's exactly what he's doing!" OuRyuumon snarled in a rage, gripping his Gairyu scimitars in his claws. "I'll kill him for saying all that!"

"Kill him?"Alphamon asked pointedly. He slowly turned to look at the tall, gold dragon. "Is that what you would do?"

OuRyuumon grimaced at his poorly chosen words and turned to look at Alphamon. "N-No!" he shouted. "I didn't mean... You don't believe him, do you?!"

Alphamon couldn't help but wince. He looked OuRyuumon square in the face. "OuRyuumon... Did you push him off that tower?"

OuRyuumon's claws trembled. He balled them into airtight fists as he looked down at Alphamon with a hurt glare. "How could you ask me that?! You of all people!"

The Lord of the Empty Seat looked down, unable to help but feel guilty for asking. However, his gaze then hardened and he looked up at OuRyuumon. He wouldn't be made to be the one in the wrong. "...I know you, OuRyuumon. Did you push him off of that tower...?"

OuRyuumon avoided eye contact with Alphamon. He knew that he couldn't lie to Alphamon while looking him in the eyes. "No..." he muttered, less than convincingly, which was only enforced by his sideways glance to the sand.

Alphamon clenched his fists. His feelings of fear, apprehension, and uneasiness changed into anger and a grim realization. "OuRyuumon..." he spoke, his voice was low and brimming with fury. "Look me in the eyes... Did you try to murder DarkKnightmon...?"

OuRyuumon's violet eyes grimaced as they turned to lock with Alphamon's. He tried to force himself to lie, but he saw the agonized look in Alphamon's eyes. That look demanded an honest answer, but at the same time, wanted to be proven wrong despite already knowing what the answer was. It sparked a flurry of guilt inside of OuRyuumon and caused him to give way.

"...I did it for you, damn it!" OuRyuumon yelled, shutting his eyes. "I overheard him and MirageGaogamon plotting to overthrow you!"

"So you **_threw him_** off of a **_tower_**?!" Alphamon thundered, fury in his bellowing voice and his crimson eyes.

OuRyuumon cringed and shrunk back. Despite being taller, he felt smaller than Alphamon in that moment. "They were probably going to kill you..." he murmured.

"…How can I believe anything you say now?" Alphamon questioned, doing his best to temper his sheer rage. "I... can't believe you did that, OuRyuumon. I never thought that you could stoop so low."

OuRyuumon growled a bit. "Me?! What about DarkKnightmon!? He was the one plotting against you!" he protested.

"He was angry. He may have calmed down," Alphamon said, glaring at him. "_You_ were the one that drove him to attack us when you pushed him off of that tower! But then again, I suppose you hoped that he had been deleted, hadn't you?"

OuRyuumon grimaced. "He would have talked his way out of it if I told you..."

"One thousand excuses won't change what you did, OuRyuumon!" the Lord of the Empty Seat growled. "He was a Royal Knight and my friend, for that matter!"

The gold dragon grunted and muttered. "Some friend he is if he decided to-"

"And some friend _you_ are for lying to me and trying to _murder_ DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon interrupted abruptly. "I suddenly understand why you wanted me to finish him off... Do you think that's the sort of thing that Royal Knights do?! It's no wonder I haven't made you one. I can't believe that a member of the Order would do something so vile."

OuRyuumon went silent. He found himself staring down at the sandy ground, knowing that whatever he had to say would just make things worse.

Omegamon looked between the two Digimon. He didn't want to be there at all. He felt incredibly uncomfortable being in between their heated argument. "Alphamon..." he spoke up uncertainly. "I believe it would be best if he returned to the castle. This isn't helping anybody."

"Very well," Alphamon tersely said, walking straight forwards and passing by OuRyuumon without so much of a glance.

"Alphamon..." OuRyuumon spoke in a small, pleading voice, looking over his shoulder at him.

"Don't," Alphamon replied sharply, stopping, but not turning to face him. "I don't even want to look at you, OuRyuumon. Right now... you disgust me."

Without another word, Alphamon flapped his wings and soared into the sky.

Omegamon gave OuRyuumon a swift, sympathetic glance and took off after Alphamon.

OuRyuumon stood alone in the sand as the two Royal Knights left without him. He watched silently as they flew away. His dejection and sadness soon turned into anger and frustration. A snarl escaped his mouth and he gripped the swords in his hands. OuRyuumon released an angry, sorrowful roar and slashed his swords down into the sand, causing a blast to rip through the grains and send two waves of sand blasting up in front of him.

OuRyuumon panted and withdrew his swords, gazing into the sky at Alphamon's receding form. "Why... Why did you have to find out?"

With a weak grunt of frustration, OuRyuumon flapped his wings and moved to follow them. He made sure to keep a distance between himself and Alphamon. He knew it took a lot to get Alphamon that mad, and when he was that angry, it was better to make himself scarce until he calmed down.

He just hoped he _would_ calm down...

* * *

><p>Alphamon hailed one of the Royal Knights' aerial guards as he, Omegamon, and the lagging OuRyuumon entered the Royal Knights' airspace. When they were recognized by the guard, they were allowed to descend over the castle walls and land inside the castle grounds. It had been a tense few hours of flight. Alphamon hadn't spoken to OuRyuumon at all, and he hadn't really said anything to Omegamon either. Neither Omegamon or OuRyuumon spoke as well.<p>

Alphamon and Omegamon landed in front of the entrance to the main building. As he landed, Alphamon couldn't help but turn and look up at the tower on the left. His gaze hardened again and he brusquely walked forwards.

A Knightmon standing on the right side of the door saw Alphamon and Omegamon approach. He promptly saluted and smiled. "Good afternoon, sirs. How did the mission-"

"Fine, thank you," Alphamon swiftly responded, pushing the door open and walking into the entrance hall towards the foyer.

"Go..." the Knightmon finished.

Omegamon followed him inside. He looked over his shoulder to see OuRyuumon land outside after a few seconds. He turned back to look at Alphamon, who had no intentions of slowing down to wait for the dragon.

OuRyuumon slunk into the entrance hall and followed at a distance, plodding along dejectedly.

Alphamon walked into the foyer. There, he saw Magnamon, Craniamon, and Dynasmon standing in the middle of the room, talking. When the door swung open, they turned to look at Alphamon and Omegamon.

"Oh, hey, guys," Dynasmon said, somewhat surprised that they were back so soon. "How did it go? Did you find DarkKnightmon?"

Craniamon looked at the two of them and noticed that they had little to no damage or signs of wear and tear on the armour. "Doesn't look like it," he remarked.

"He escaped again," Alphamon said, walking straight past them. He walked across the foyer to the left set of stairs.

"Where's OuRyuumon?" Magnamon asked, looking around.

Alphamon shrugged and headed up the stairs to head to his room.

Omegamon internally sighed. "OuRyuumon's behind us," he responded, looking over his shoulder.

He saw OuRyuumon head up the several steps and walk into the foyer. OuRyuumon looked around the room. "Where's Alphamon?" he asked.

"I think he went up to his room," Dynasmon said, frowning curiously. "Did something happen?"

"No," OuRyuumon responded, walking past them and going into the same staircase that Alphamon went up.

Omegamon immediately followed him, walking up the stairs after the gold dragon. Once they were out of the other knights' ear shot, he spoke up. "Where are you going, OuRyuumon?" he questioned.

"I need to talk to Alphamon," OuRyuumon replied, his voice low but full of determination.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Omegamon inquired, frowning.

"I need to explain, damnit!" OuRyuumon snapped, jerking his head to look over his shoulder.

"I don't think he'll be willing to listen right now, do you?" the white knight asked as they reached the top of the stairs.

"I don't care..." the dragon Digimon answered, turning forwards and grimacing. "I've gotta try..."

Omegamon nodded, although he had no expectations that OuRyuumon would succeed. "Good luck, then..."

OuRyuumon muttered a quick, off-handed 'thanks' and turned right, heading down towards the end of the long corridor, where Alphamon's room was.

Omegamon followed him, but only to head to his own room which was adjacent to Alphamon's. He saw OuRyuumon stop in front of Alphamon's closed door. He glanced at the dragon briefly before heading into his room and closing the door to give them some privacy. Omegamon started taking off his armour and placing the metal segments on the armour rack in the corner of his room. He changed into a white shirt with the horseshoe-shaped symbol of omega on it. He did his best not to listen but he couldn't help but overhear OuRyuumon outside.

OuRyuumon rapped his claws strongly against Alphamon's door, sending the sound of knocking wood echoing down the corridor.

"Who is it?"Alphamon asked, his voice still carrying a sharp edge to it.

"...It's me," OuRyuumon answered in an uncharacteristically submissive voice.

Alphamon was silent.

After waiting a few seconds for him to respond, OuRyuumon persisted. "Alphamon?"

"Leave me," Alphamon told him curtly.

OuRyuumon frowned. "But Alphamon... Let me explain-"

"I don't want to hear any more of your lies and rationalizations," the Lord of the Empty Seat sharply explained.

"Hear me out, Alphamon!"

Alphamon sneered. "Leave me, OuRyuumon!" he angrily yelled through the door. He didn't hear OuRyuumon respond after that. A heavy breath escaped his mouth. "Just... don't for awhile. You'll just make things worse."

He heard the sound of OuRyuumon's clawed footsteps tapping against the stone floor weakening as he walked away, defeated.

Alphamon grunted as he pulled the rest of his clothes on. He wouldn't allow himself to feel guilty. What OuRyuumon did was unacceptable to him and he wasn't about to let him off the hook. Friend or not. Lover or not. He was far too angry for that.

He buttoned up his white, button-up shirt, zipped up his dark blue pants, and walked over to the window in his room, opening it. He placed his arms on the stone sill and leaned forwards, peering out into the fresh air and the sunny afternoon. Alphamon brought his palm to his face and rubbed it.

He still couldn't believe it. He knew that OuRyuumon had a tendency to be aggressive and impulsive, and he knew that he enjoyed the art of combat, but he never thought that he could do something like that. Alphamon knew that DarkKnightmon did absolutely nothing that he could condone, but to think that OuRyuumon could resort to such extreme actions to somebody who he was supposed to have cared about... Alphamon thought he knew him. He was in love with OuRyuumon, but now OuRyuumon almost seemed like an entirely different Digimon to him.

And then there was the other thing that bothered him...

OuRyuumon had been keeping this secret from Alphamon for all these years. Alphamon had trusted OuRyuumon implicitly. He never would have thought that he could keep something this big from him. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt hurt. He understood why OuRyuumon kept it from him; he must have known Alphamon would react this way. However, that didn't stop him from feeling at least somewhat betrayed.

On further reflection, he imagined that this was how Omegamon must have felt when he found out that Alphamon had been keeping something from him. Alphamon's feelings of anger and disgust turned into that of guilt. The emotion panged at his heart... He felt somewhat hypocritical. He was mad at OuRyuumon for keeping an important secret from him when he had kept an important secret from someone close to him as well.

Alphamon grimaced. He stood up straight and closed the window, turning back towards the door. He had put off talking to Omegamon for long enough. Alphamon decided that it was time to explain everything to him once and for all. He was a very important person to Alphamon; he deserved to have his mind put at ease. He wanted things to be back to the way they were between him and Omegamon. He needed that close bond restored.

The black knight walked out of his room and closed the door behind him. He stepped up to the nearby door on his right and took a deep breath. After a few seconds of composing himself, he knocked on the door.

Omegamon opened up the door and looked at Alphamon. "Alphamon?"

"May I come in?" he asked, masking the uncertainty in his voice. "I want to talk to you."

"Of course..." Omegamon answered, moving out of the way so that Alphamon could walk in. He closed the door behind them and walked around Alphamon to face him.

Alphamon observed Omegamon with a faint, quiet grimace. His mind raced as he tried to decide how to start and what to say to him.

"This is about OuRyuumon, isn't it?" Omegamon asked.

Alphamon paused. "...Well, sort of..." he replied.

"I realize how angry at him you must be, but-"

"No," Alphamon interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows. "It's not about that..."

"Pardon?" Omegamon asked, confused.

"To be honest, it's not even about him, really," Alphamon told him, still managing to feel twinges of anger as he thought about OuRyuumon. "It's about you and I..."

"...What do you mean?" Omegamon questioned, his confusion turning into apprehension.

"It's time that I've explained myself..." Alphamon said, wincing. "I owe you an explanation."

Omegamon closed his eyes. He knew what Alphamon was talking about now. "Alphamon..." he began reassuringly.

"I _do_," Alphamon insisted. "I... I never wanted you to find out about me and OuRyuumon like that."

"You never wanted me to find out," Omegamon corrected, opening his eyes and looking at Alphamon.

Alphamon paused and grimaced. He looked at Omegamon and walked up to him, closing much of the space between them. "You don't understand, Omegamon... It's not like you think."

"You don't have to explain, Alphamon," Omegamon assured him. "I've already forgiven you."

"Damn it, Omegamon! Stop being so understanding for a moment! I'm trying to explain myself!" he said in a raised, heated voice. He reached out and grabbed Omegamon's hand, pulling it up between them. "I _care_ about you!"

Omegamon's eyes widened a bit. "Alphamon..."

Alphamon stared deep into Omegamon's blue eyes with a resilient gaze. "I do… You've been so good to me after all these years… probably better than I deserve," Alphamon told him, taking a step towards him so that they were inches apart. He held Omegamon's hand gently in his. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

Omegamon felt himself heating up behind his helmet. He grew uncomfortable by Alphamon's close proximity and the lingering hold on his hand. "I'm sure you didn't…" Omegamon replied, beginning to lean back a bit. "That's just… how things turned out…"

"I was planning to tell you, Omegamon. Honestly, I was!" Alphamon assured him passionately, reaching out his other hand and placing it on Omegamon's shoulder, holding him in place. "This has nothing to do with me not trusting you…" Alphamon began to softly caress Omegamon's palm with his thumb. "Believe me, Omegamon…"

Omegamon's eyes widened. "A-Alphamon…!" he exclaimed in shock at the sudden contact. Alphamon was acting differently towards him. He was no longer acting like just a friend. Omegamon wasn't sure how to react. He flushed but narrowed his eyes. "A-Alphamon… Stop. Y-You're upset over OuRyuumon…" he told him, trying to remain as calm as possible.

Alphamon leaned forwards towards Omegamon, his face but an inch away from the white knight's. He squeezed the knight's hand and gazed into Omegamon's eyes, his adrenaline pumping and his emotions running high from the events of the past day. "No… I'm upset over you…" he softly answered, his warm breath blowing across Omegamon's face.

Omegamon released a nervous, shaky breath as his wide, blue eyes stared up at Alphamon's with shock and fear. "Alphamon…" he whispered. Omegamon grimaced and pulled his hand away, placing his hands on Alphamon's chest and gently pushing him back to put distance between Alphamon and himself. Omegamon panted slightly and stared Alphamon hard in the eyes. "…Don't, Alphamon," he said firmly. Omegamon walked past him, towards the door, turning his embarrassed and addled face away from Alphamon as he passed. "Don't do something else that you'll regret…"

Alphamon stared blankly at Omegamon for a few moments. His crimson eyes started to enlarge with horror when he began to realize what he was doing. "O-Omegamon," he stammered, unable to think of anything else to say. "I…" He was mortified by his actions.

"You should leave, Alphamon," Omegamon insisted, facing the door. "Go rest and cool down. You're in no fit state to be around anybody right now. Not after everything that's happened today."

"But I-" Alphamon began to protest. He felt the need to explain himself. He needed to apologize for his foolish, impulsive, inappropriate behaviour. He didn't even get to properly explain to Omegamon about why he kept the secret from him. However… he realized that he couldn't right now. After what he did, he would only make things worse between him. Thinking rationally again, Alphamon knew that he had to cut his losses before he screwed things up irrevocably between them… if he hadn't already.

Alphamon grimaced and nodded, walking towards the door. "Very well…" he muttered. As he passed Omegamon and went out into the hall, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Cringing, Omegamon closed the door behind Alphamon.

Wordlessly, Alphamon turned and walked into his own room, closing the door behind him. He sat down at his desk and buried his face in his hands, sighing and rubbing his temples in frustration. "Yggdrasil, Alphamon… What the hell were you thinking…?" he asked himself.


	26. Chapter 17: Shifting the Balance

**Chapter 17: Shifting the Balance**

Dorbickmon sat on the throne in the great hall of the Lupolford town hall. It was dark except for the wall torches that provided light along the stone sides of the long room. He ran his clawed fingers along the detailed ornamentation of the throne, sliding it along its gold facets and a crimson corundum at the end of the chair's arm.

"_I wonder how much this thing would sell for…?_" he mused to himself, looking down at the throne he rested on. "_That Anubismon must have had a fair amount of money to get this. Pity he squandered it all before he was killed; we could have used it for our own purposes._"

His train of thought was interrupted when the double doors at the end of the hall creaked loudly upon being pushed open. Dorbickmon looked up and stood to his feet. He saw two figures walk in. The first was DarkKnightmon and the one behind him was a Digimon that he didn't recognize.

The red dragon man walked down the three steps and made his way across the marble floor towards them. "Is this that friend you mentioned?" Dorbickmon asked DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon nodded. "This is MirageGaogamon. He's the former Captain of the Royal Knights' Defence Forces. He helped me when I rebelled," he explained.

"Oh, that's right…" Dorbickmon spoke, thinking back. "I remember reading that you had an accomplice."

"Who is this, Sir?" MirageGaogamon asked suspiciously, leering at Dorbickmon.

"He's the one I mentioned who freed me from the Dark Area," DarkKnightmon informed him. "Dorbickmon's a useful ally."

"I hope I can be," Dorbickmon remarked, reaching out his hand towards MirageGaogamon.

MirageGaogamon eyed his hand suspiciously, but reached out and clasped it. He looked up at Dorbickmon. "Why do you want to help DarkKnightmon?"

"I have a score to settle with Examon, one of the new Royal Knights," Dorbickmon explained, looking him in the eyes as he shook his hand.

"Not a very noble cause," MirageGaogamon said, releasing his hand.

"Yeah, well, I'm not a very noble guy," Dorbickmon responded. He paused. "Neither is Examon, for that matter. That's why it makes my blood boil to see him a part of a holy, benevolent group like the Royal Knights. If only they knew the truth…"

"What exactly did he do to you?" MirageGaogamon asked curiously.

DarkKnightmon spoke up. "As far as I'm concerned, it matters not why you want to help us, Dorbickmon. I'm already in your debt for helping me to escape."

"Good. I'm willing to go along with whatever you want, just as long as you leave Examon to me. A cut of the spoils wouldn't go amiss either," Dorbickmon told him, a twinkle in his violet eyes. "I'm a simple guy of simple wants."

"I'm glad to hear that. We should be able to work together smoothly," the dark knight assured him.

"What's our first course of action, Sir?" MirageGaogamon asked sharply.

"I have a few things planned," DarkKnightmon replied. "First and foremost should be intelligence gathering. Since MirageGaogamon and I have been imprisoned for the past several years, I need to know what's changed and I need to know more about these new Royal Knights."

"I've got that covered," Dorbickmon explained. "I know a guy who's good at gathering information. He's how I found out about Examon. I did some research on the other knights while I was at it. RhodoKnightmon, UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, Duftmon, Sleipmon, and Examon are the ones you don't know, right?"

"That's right," he informed him. "We can focus on that later. What we shouldn't do is face all eleven Royal Knights head on. That would just be reckless and foolish. I want to split them up into more manageable groups and take them down one by one."

"How are you gonna do that? They're probably planning to send the whole Order after you," Dorbickmon noted.

"I'll get the mercenary teams attack some of the Free Area states at the same time; just to get their attention and scatter as they approach. That will divert and separate the Royal Knights as they go to deal with all of the attacks. That will make the remainder easier to deal with."

"What if they're so focused on finding you that they send the Strike Forces of the Order to deal with them instead?" Dorbickmon asked.

"Hmm…" DarkKnightmon considered his question pensively. "Shouldn't be a problem. I've dangled a bit of bait."

"Yeah?"

DarkKnightmon nodded. "When we were walking away from the prison, MirageGaogamon noticed that a mechanical insect had been following us."

"You mean a Digimon?" Dorbickmon asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No, but it was made by a Digimon. It had some sort of tracking system installed in it," DarkKnightmon explained. "I destroyed it, and the some of the Royal Knights will naturally come to investigate the area of its destruction. That's where we'll make our first offensive."

"I'll leave it to you. Strategy's not really my thing," Dorbickmon said with a wave of his hand. "Just as long as we don't get overwhelmed. Should I go get my notes on the Knights?"

"Please," DarkKnightmon said, nodding at Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon nodded. "Okay," he said. He glanced at MirageGaogamon. "Nice meeting you. By the way, don't go near the dark rift back there. Still having trouble closing it."

MirageGaogamon watched him silently as Dorbickmon walked towards the back of the great hall, disappearing out one of the doors. When he was gone, the former Captain turned to DarkKnightmon.

"Do you trust him, Sir?" he asked suspiciously.

"I trust him for as long as our goals go hand-in-hand," DarkKnightmon replied. "And that's good enough for me. Loyalty isn't free, after all."

"It is when it comes to me and you, Sir," MirageGaogamon told him, somewhat defensively.

DarkKnightmon smiled. "It reassures me to hear you say that, Captain. You know you can trust me, as well."

"I know."

DarkKnightmon nodded and placed his hand on MirageGaogamon's shoulder. "Let me show you where the war room is. Then we can strategize about how to get the Royal Knights out of their castle."

* * *

><p>Alphamon let out a groan as he sat up in bed. The morning sun glared upon the landscape outside, indirectly illuminating his room through the windows. The knight brought a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up<p>

He glanced over to the other side of his large bed. He saw that OuRyuumon was not there. While the two typically only spent the night together on the odd occasion, Alphamon noticed his absence particularly on that morning. It was then that the guilt from yesterday returned. He groaned and rubbed his face when he remembered. He made a pass at Omegamon.

"Great… Just great…" he murmured, sliding out from under the covers and standing to his feet. "First OuRyuumon, now him. What else could go wrong?"

As if on cue, there was a frantic knocking on his door.

"Who is it?" Alphamon called out.

"MetallifeKuwagamon!" a voice responded.

"Just a moment. I'll get dressed," the Lord of the Empty Seat responded, walking over to his bureau. He slipped on some clothes as quickly as he could and went over to open the door.

The short, insect technician was standing there, looking somewhat flustered. "I'm sorry, Alphamon, sir. Did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, I was just getting up anyways. What is it, Metallife?"

"There's an urgent communication from the Overseer of Havelock Prison," MetallifeKuwagamon explained with a look of concern on his face. "He says that there's been a prison break."

"What?! That's impossible!" Alphamon exclaimed, glaring and balling his fists up. "What happened?"

"Y-You should really talk to him yourself…" MetallifeKuwagamon told him. "I don't know the details…"

Alphamon nodded curtly and walked past him, haste in his stride. MetallifeKuwagamon followed after him. He made his way down to the first floor, speed-walking down corridors until he reached the communications room. He walked in and saw the gold, fearsome body of a Reapermon on the giant monitor's screen. The Reapermon's skull-like face had an agitated, frustrated look, and his gold-plated, humanoid body had scuffs and dents all over it. Above the clenched, metal claws of his left hand was a giant cannon, which contrasted with the long, deadly scythe of his right arm.

His glowing, red eyes looked over as he noticed Alphamon and MetallifeKuwagamon appear on his screen. "Alphamon…" he spoke in a gravelly voice.

"Reapermon, are you alright? Tell me what happened," Alphamon urged him. Although he was extremely agitated about everything that was going on, he maintained a calm, professional demeanour in front of his subordinates.

"A little battered and bruised. I'm fine. My pride took the brunt of the beating," Reapermon explained, frowning deeply.

"MetallifeKuwagamon told me there was a prison break…" Alphamon spoke, narrowing his eyes. "How is that possible with all of the security measures in place."

"It happened from the outside… Yesterday," the Overseer answered. "It was DarkKnightmon."

Alphamon sneered. Him again. "DarkKnightmon… Of course…"

"He knew all of the security protocols. The guards were no match for his power. I couldn't even stand up to him," Reapermon admitted, grimacing and bowing his head somewhat. "I apologize, Alphamon."

"No… It's my fault. I should have anticipated something like this. We should have updated the protocols," Alphamon assured him, sighing and rubbing his forehead. "Now… How bad is it?"

"That's the thing…" Reapermon said, looking up. "The only prisoner that was set free was MirageGaogamon. All of the rest were still locked up."

"MirageGaogamon…" Alphamon spoke bitterly. "His old ally." He looked up at the screen. "Were there any casualties?"

"Fortunately not. Ninety percent of the guards are injured though. I would like to request that we send them to headquarters for medical treatment and get some temporary replacements from your Defence Forces," the Overseer said. "As it stands now, Havelock Prison is unsecure."

"Of course," Alphamon said. "I'll make those provisions. I'll also have Duskmon send one or two of his apprentices over for those of you with minor injuries."

"Thanks, Alphamon. Oh… by the way. It isn't all bad news," Reapermon explained, a grin creeping onto his skeletal face.

"Oh?" the Lord of the Empty Seat inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

"I managed to send that insect-shaped scout pod that MetallifeKuwagamon made for us here at Havelock after them not long after they escaped."

"You did?" MetallifeKuwagamon spoke up. "If you tell me its code, I should be able to access its memory bank remotely from the computer."

"Twenty three, I'm fairly certain. I hope you can find something to work with from that," Reapermon told them. "I want to do at least _something_ to help after that embarrassing event yesterday."

"Thank you, Reapermon. I hope so too," Alphamon answered.

"Catch those bastards for me," Reapermon said, moving his hand and closing the video call program.

MetallifeKuwagamon walked over to the long computer desk. "This will take about fifteen minutes, Alphamon."

Alphamon nodded at MetallifeKuwagamon and walked out of the room, leaving him to his work. "_I will, Reapermon_," he thought to himself. There was a purposeful determination in his step as he strode down the corridor.

"_I'll stop him before things get even more out of hand_."

* * *

><p>Omegamon lay in bed, lying on his back. He stared up at the ceiling with his hands rested behind his head. As soon as he woke up, all that he could think about was what had happened the day before. The events kept playing over and over in his mind.<p>

Why did Alphamon do that? Did Alphamon actually have those kinds of feelings towards him? He doubted it. If Alphamon did, Omegamon never noticed them before. Then again, Omegamon hadn't realized that Alphamon was bisexual either, so maybe he wasn't the best judge of character. He thought that it was more likely that Alphamon was just emotionally confused after what happened with OuRyuumon. Alphamon's emotions were running high and he had a moment of weakness, he figured.

However, even that didn't make things that much easier. A line was crossed yesterday, and now Omegamon was left confused. Alphamon was Omegamon's best friend, but now he didn't know what he was supposed to feel… or what Alphamon felt about him. That, combined with the uncertainty of Alphamon hiding his sexuality and relationship with OuRyuumon only served to confuse him further. It upset him to know that things would inevitably different between them from now on. Things had been strained between them enough as it was. He didn't want to lose Alphamon as a friend. He had been willing to look past Alphamon's apparent lack of trust in him, but now… he wasn't sure what to think. His thoughts were spinning.

Omegamon sighed and pulled the covers off his bed. Thinking about the problem all day was no solution. He had duties to attend to and he needed to start the day. The white knight stood to his feet and made his way towards his door.

As he approached, he suddenly stopped. He thought that he heard metallic shuffling coming from the room to the left of his, at the end of the corridor. It was Alphamon's room. Curious as to what the sound was, Omegamon opened his door so that he could listen more accurately.

As he opened the door, Alphamon opened his own door. Omegamon froze, his heart sinking. He wasn't prepared to face Alphamon yet.

Alphamon took one step out of his room before stopping in his tracks. He saw Omegamon and struggled not to grimace. "Oh… Omegamon…" he spoke, the sheepish discomfort plain in his voice. "Good morning…"

"Good morning…" Omegamon answered, his eyes acknowledging Alphamon before looking away. He was about to turn to escape back into his room when something caught his attention. Alphamon was suited up in full armour, cape and all. It was odd for him this early in the morning. He turned his gaze back to Alphamon, arching an eyebrow. "…Are you going somewhere?"

Alphamon cringed and averted his gaze. "Don't worry about it," he answered, beginning to walk again. He passed Omegamon and began to head towards the set of stairs on the other end of the hallway. However, he found himself stopped in his tracks by a white hand on his shoulder guard. He turned suddenly to see Omegamon holding him in place.

Omegamon glared at him resolutely. "Where are you going, Alphamon?" he demanded in an authoritative voice that was rare for Omegamon.

Alphamon grunted and looked forwards again. "I'm going to face DarkKnightmon."

"You aren't serious…"

Alphamon nodded. "Please don't try to convince me otherwise."

Omegamon frowned and walked up beside him. "How do you even know where to look? The morning patrols aren't even back yet, are they?"

Alphamon released a sigh through his nostrils; Omegamon could be stubborn when he needed to be. "DarkKnightmon broke MirageGaogamon out of Havelock," he told him. Before Omegamon could react with shock, Alphamon continued. "Reapermon sent out one of Metallife's scout pods after them. He's bringing up the memory feed as we speak."

"He's gathering allies," Omegamon said, his brows furrowed harder now.

Alphamon nodded. "That's why I need to stop him now, before he can amass more allies against us."

"I'm coming with you," Omegamon told him.

The Lord of the Empty Seat turned away. "…You don't need to do that, Omegamon."

"Yes, I do," the white knight firmly answered. "It would be foolish for you to go alone. You know how strong DarkKnightmon is."

"Are you sure…?" Alphamon pressed, leering over his shoulder at him.

Omegamon frowned. He knew why Alphamon was hesitant. Neither of them forgot about the incident between them yesterday. "…Yes. It's my duty as a Royal Knight to support you on a dangerous task like this."

Alphamon paused. "I see… Your duty. Very well," he said, turning towards the staircase. "Go get yourself armoured up and meet me in the communications room."

"You won't slip away while I'm changing, will you?" Omegamon asked him, arching an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You never would have asked me that before…" Alphamon spoke in a near mumble.

Omegamon couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his chest. He winced and his gaze strayed away. "Sorry…"

Alphamon frowned suddenly. "No, I—" he stopped himself and closed his fists with frustration. "Never mind. Meet me when you're ready."

"Very well…" Omegamon answered tensely. He turned and headed into his room, closing the door behind him before sighing. As he expected, things were extremely difficult between them. It seemed that they both had unspoken words that they didn't know how to say.

This was the first time since they had become really close friends that Alphamon had really been a mystery to him. Usually, he was able to pick up on Alphamon's thoughts just by being around him, and vice versa. Now, he didn't know what Alphamon was thinking. He could feel the rift between them growing wider by the day and he didn't know how to mend it.

Omegamon sighed wistfully and began undressing to change into his armour. "Maybe defeating DarkKnightmon will solve all of this…"

* * *

><p>After twenty minutes of preparation, Omegamon walked into the communications room where he found Alphamon waiting. He stood behind MetallifeKuwagamon, who sat at the computer, watching the video feed of his reconnaissance drone.<p>

"Is this your scout pod?" Omegamon asked walking in and standing to look at the screen.

"It was…" MetallifeKuwagamon said with some bitterness in his voice.

"Was?" he questioned, wondering about his choice of tense. Omegamon looked at the screen. The monitor showed the mechanical drone following what were definitely DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon.

"This is at the twenty minute mark," MetallifeKuwagamon informed him, looking expectantly at the giant computer monitor. "They haven't noticed it yet."

Omegamon and Alphamon continued watching, standing apart from one another.

The scout pod followed the two Digimon from a distance, recording their movements, as well as their voices with limited audio quality. The sound was distorted because of the strong winds, but it was able to pick up a few of their words here and there.

"…_Dorbick—Sssssst…iversion… Fffffft_…" the computer's audio speakers echoed.

"I can't make out what they're saying," Omegamon said.

"I can try to amplify the audio, but it will likely take until the mid-afternoon," MetallifeKabuterimon said.

"Do that. For now, we'll go off the visual cues," Alphamon told him.

MetallifeKuwagamon nodded, watching as the two fugitive Digimon began to make sneaky glances over their shoulders. "Here," he said.

DarkKnightmon suddenly spun around whipped his Twin Spear towards the drone like a javelin. The lance flew towards the screen at a frightening speed before the tip embedded itself in the camera of the scout pod. The screen cracked and immediately went black.

"That was the last point of contact with Scout Pod #23," MetallifeKuwagamon explained with a light wince.

"Is that why I saw you on the floor when I walked in?" Alphamon asked, raising an eyebrow.

MetallifeKuwagamon's face flushed. "Err… It was startling for somebody not expecting it…" he sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Would you like me to rewind the memory file?"

"No, that's alright," Alphamon reassured him. "I know where the scout pod was destroyed from the landmarks I noticed the first time."

MetallifeKuwagamon nodded. "Then I'll get to work on the audio."

"Thank you, Metallife," the black knight told him. "We'll head out then." He looked at Omegamon. "If you're ready, I mean…"

"If you are," Omegamon replied.

With a nod, Alphamon walked out into the corridor. "Then let's go."

As they walked into the hall, the two knights abruptly stopped. OuRyuumon was walking towards them.

Alphamon saw him and looked away with a soft wince. While he was still furious at the dragon, he couldn't help but feel guilty about making a pass at Omegamon while they were still in a relationship.

Omegamon similarly felt uncomfortable about what had happened, and he felt a bit guilty himself that OuRyuumon didn't know about it. That said, he wasn't about to tell him, knowing how much worse it would make everything.

OuRyuumon looked up and noticed Alphamon, a bit of hope growing in his eyes. "A-Alphamon!"

Alphamon frowned and walked towards the dragon. He passed by him without a word.

Omegamon's gaze softened as he followed the black knight. It pained him to see the look of dejection and sorrow on OuRyuumon's face. He sympathized for the Digimon, but at the same time, he couldn't feel too bad because OuRyuumon brought it on himself to a large degree.

"He'll come around," Omegamon felt the need to tell OuRyuumon as he passed him.

Cringing, OuRyuumon shrugged. "Yeah… Sure…" he mumbled. He glanced over his shoulder at him. "Where are you two going?"

Omegamon stopped and paused. He knew that Alphamon didn't want any of the other Royal Knights going with them, and he certainly wouldn't want OuRyuumon to come along. Omegamon himself knew that bringing OuRyuumon along to face DarkKnightmon after what DarkKnightmon had done to their relationship would be a huge mistake. "We're just meeting with KaiserGreymon and AncientGarurumon," Omegamon lied.

"Oh…"

With that, Omegamon went to catch up with Alphamon, so that they could go and face DarkKnightmon.

* * *

><p>After an hour's flight, Alphamon and Omegamon landed on the grassy plains of their territory. A heavy overcast of grey clouds had taken over the sky, blocking out the sun.<p>

It had been a long, tense journey for the two knights. They barely spoke to one another, and the uncomfortable silence that resulted made things all the more unbearable. Neither of them bothered forcing small talk, knowing how transparent it would have been. They only spoke about the mission at hand, pointing out landmarks and points of interest.

They had been relieved when they reached the first of their destinations, Havelock Prison. From there, they followed the path of MetallifeKuwagamon's scout pod, based off of Alphamon's memory. It was another twenty minutes until they reached their second destination.

The black and white knights looked around the area cautiously. There was grassland for kilometers, with only a few trees and giant boulders to serve as landmarks for the area. To their right, there was a large bed of blue and yellow flowers.

"You're sure this is the place?" Omegamon asked, looking over at Alphamon.

"Yes," he answered, nodding over to the flowers. "I recognize the flowers."

"Are you sure it's the same one? There are countless beds of those flowers around our territory," Omegamon contested.

"Positive," Alphamon responded certainly. He turned away from the white knight and scanned the flowers. "I picked a flower from this patch for OuRyuumon for our first date, as a joke."

Omegamon tensed up slightly. "I… see," he answered ambiguously, not wanting to linger on their problems anymore during that mission. His head was already racing with countless thoughts about himself, Alphamon, OuRyuumon, and DarkKnightmon. He didn't need his judgment clouded any further. Omegamon knew that these thoughts of uncertainty were plaguing Alphamon's mind as well.

Omegamon shook his head. He needed to focus at the task at hand. He looked around the vicinity carefully. "…I think I see something," he remarked, suddenly turning in a different direction and walking over.

Alphamon pivoted and walked after him, looking to see what Omegamon noticed. "I think you're right," he said.

The two knights approached a pile of gold scraps of metal, strewn heedlessly amongst the blades of grass. Metal shards and cut circuitry lay at their feet.

"This must be the scout pod," Alphamon figured, nudging the scrap metal with his boot.

"It seems that way…" Omegamon agreed. He looked up and gazed around the area carefully.

His eyes snapped wide open at something.

"Alphamon!" he shouted.

Alphamon whipped around to see two streams of fire ripping through the air towards them. The jets of flames incinerated the flowers along with the blades of grass below.

Omegamon tackled Alphamon to the ground roughly. The sweltering streams passed over the Royal Knights harmlessly, although Omegamon still felt their heat pulsing against his back. Alphamon hissed and stood up as soon as the flames dissipated, pulling Omegamon up with him.

"Damn it, an ambush," he growled, turning towards where the attack came from. He summoned the Seiken Grad Alpha in a burst of light.

Omegamon narrowed his eyes and nodded, his Grey Sword and Garuru Cannon springing out from his gauntlets as he turned towards the blast's origin as well. They could only see a spot of red and black against the green and grey backdrop. "There," he exclaimed, raising his cannon towards the attacker.

Before Omegamon could fire, the Digimon acted. "Burning the Dragon!" a voice roared out. There was a flash of violet power in front of the figure and, suddenly, the ground began to shudder and quake, throwing the Royal Knights off balance.

Alphamon snarled and stabbed his sword of light into the ground to keep himself standing. Omegamon did the same with his Grey Sword, unable to fire while off balance. However, the attack didn't end there. The earth suddenly ripped up around them, throwing grass, dirt, and rocks upwards around their forms.

"Break!" Alphamon shouted to Omegamon, bursting through the left side of the blast of upturned earth. Omegamon nodded and burst through the right side, separating from Alphamon.

Disoriented from the attack, the two knights stopped and regained their bearings, raising their weapons to counter any surprise attacks. Omegamon whirled around towards where he last saw the figure, but he was already gone. Instead, he noticed something directly above him, falling fast.

The large, crimson form of a dragon man Digimon descended on him, slashing down a sword wreathed in blazing, violet flames. Omegamon recoiled and raised his Grey Sword, blocking the blade with his own. The force was incredible against his arm; he could tell that this Digimon was powerful.

Omegamon's blue eyes narrowed as his sword was pushed back, but he dug his boots into the ground and pushed back, swinging his arm out mightily. The strong swipe of the sword pushed the assailant back through the air. Omegamon then raised his cannon, taking advantage of the opening, and fired a powerful blast from the Garuru Cannon's muzzle. The orb of swirling blue power pulsed from the cannon towards the draconic attacker, who was but meters away, but he responded with incredible battle instincts. From the two cannon ports on his pectoral muscles, he fired two blazing streaks of power that slammed into Omegamon's attack and detonated it in between them, throwing both Digimon back.

Alphamon sneered. "Omegamon!" he called out, turning towards him. Alphamon cried out with pain when blast of dark matter slammed into his back and exploded, knocking him to the ground violently.

Omegamon landed on his feet, catching himself, and turned to see what hit Alphamon. He immediately knew there was a second Digimon there too.

DarkKnightmon's form burst out from the canopy of a tree and landed close to the leader of the Royal Knights. "You should never leave your back exposed," DarkKnightmon chastised him.

Alphamon growled and pushed himself to his hands and knees, his white and blue cape singed and smoking slightly. He stood up and gripped his sword tightly in his hand. "Least of all around you," he said to DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon smirked. "If you like…" he spoke. He looked around the vicinity. "Is OuRyuumon not with you today?"

Alphamon narrowed his eyes angrily. "Being smug doesn't suit you, DarkKnightmon," he told him bitterly. His red eyes glanced over at the crimson dragon, who landed away from him and over near Omegamon. "New friend?"

"Yes. That's Dorbickmon," DarkKnightmon explained. "He's my bodyguard."

"Bodyguard, is he?" Alphamon asked, narrowing his eyes at DarkKnightmon.

"You two came out here searching for me," DarkKnightmon said. "I need to defend myself."

"You planned for us to come after you. What you're doing here is acting aggressively, not defensively," Alphamon countered, secretly building up power within his free hand as he spoke. "So don't play the innocent party."

"Very well," DarkKnightmon spoke, raising the Twin Spear and aiming it at Alphamon.

"Digitalize of Soul," Alphamon shouted, shooting his arm up as he spoke and firing a beam of emerald power from his palm.

DarkKnightmon fired a dark, violet beam from his lance, and the two attacks clashed violently. Green and purple tendrils of energy splayed off in multiple directions as the attacks bloomed and detonated between them. Grass was ripped up and the two dark knights were buffeted backwards by the concussion of the colliding attacks.

Omegamon darted towards the explosion, intending to engage DarkKnightmon. Suddenly appearing in his path was Dorbickmon, who gave him a toothy smirk.

Dorbickmon charged forwards and slammed his fist into Omegamon's face, knocking the white knight backwards. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a grin. "You have to deal with me."

Omegamon, wincing from the blow, began to glare at him. He looked over Dorbickmon's shoulder at Alphamon, who was busy clashing weapons with DarkKnightmon. His comrade seemed like he could handle himself, so Omegamon readied his sword and cannon. "Then I will."

"Good. You can serve as practice," Dorbickmon said, whipping his fiery sword, the Tyrant Collbrande, out in front of him. There was a glint in his yellow and violet eyes as he stabbed the blade into the ground. "Burning the Dragon!"

Once again, Omegamon felt the earth below him tremble. Suddenly a pillar of rock blasted out of the ground behind him, slamming into his armoured back, right between his shoulders. Omegamon's back arched and he was thrown forwards savagely. He quickly attempted to right himself and raise his cannon to fire at Dorbickmon, but another chunk of rock ripped from the ground and drove itself into the knight's face, knocking him upwards.

Omegamon staggered backwards, grimacing with pain. Through his blurred vision, he saw Dorbickmon rip his sword from the ground and charge towards him, winding his fist back with the intent of drilling it into Omegamon's torso. However, Omegamon acted quickly and darted to the right as Dorbickmon swung his draconic fist. As the dragon missed his target, Omegamon spun around and aimed his cannon at Dorbickmon's upper body.

"Garuru Cannon!" he spoke. The blast burst from the cannon and consumed Dorbickmon, throwing him through the air and tumbling across the grass.

"_He can manipulate the land like Duftmon can in his Leopard Mode_," Omegamon observed, carefully watching Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon snarled and stood to his feet, brushing the ice from his spikes. "I barely even felt that!" he taunted, his eyes burning excitedly. "The kid gloves come off now! Tyrant Collbrande!" he shouted.

The dragon man raised his burning sword over his head. Suddenly, the flames intensified and the sword elongated to six times its length and width. Dorbickmon roared and slammed the massive sword down on top of Omegamon, who blocked with his sword and cannon. The immense pressure and sheer power of the Tyrant Collbrande forced him into the ground, and the area around him caved in under the gigantic sword's power.

Despite this, Omegamon held firm, continuing to block the sword. When the blade suddenly retracted and shrank back to its regular size, Omegamon slackened, panting with exertion. Although he avoided a direct, unguarded blow from the sword, his muscles throbbed just from blocking it.

Omegamon stood up straight and began charging towards Dorbickmon, his sword poised and his cannon firing blasts at Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon smirked and slashed one of the blasts down the middle with the Tyrant Collbrande. "Bring it on, Royal Knight," he said to him, narrowing his eyes as the attack's frosty breath dispersed around him. "_I've_ had years of training too…"

* * *

><p>DarkKnightmon and Alphamon exchanged blows. DarkKnightmon's spear tore at Alphamon's armour. Alphamon's blade melted Dorbickmon's plate mail. The screech of metal pierced the air and sparks cascaded out from their clashing weapons.<p>

The two knights broke away and they paused for a moment to glare at each other.

"Enough games, DarkKnightmon," Alphamon said, poising the Seiken Grad Alpha. "What are your intentions?"

"You already know," DarkKnightmon responded, lunging at Alphamon and stabbing his spear down at him. "I…" He paused when Alphamon parried his attack and fired back with a large beam from his left hand, which DarkKnightmon was forced to dodge. "…Never approved of the way you ran the Order."

DarkKnightmon rushed forwards at Alphamon, ramming him with his massive shoulder blade. "Rgh! …I'm going to dismantle the Royal Knights… and create my own Order," he explained to him, struggling against Alphamon's sword. As he fought against it, he pulled his Twin Spear back and levelled it at Alphamon. "I'll replace your Royal Knights with those who share my views. Then, we will bring order to these chaotic lands." The fugitive knight's golden eyes flashed and he released a devastating blast of shadows from his Twin Spear onto Alphamon.

Alphamon roared out as the shadowy power enveloped him, burning beneath his armour. He lashed out with his holy sword and swept it through the beam of darkness, ripping through it and driving it across DarkKnightmon's chest.

The two knights fell away, vestiges of darkness and light on their bodies as they recoiled in pain.

"If you would just open up your eyes, DarkKnightmon…" Alphamon said to him, growling.

"My eyes have already been opened," DarkKnightmon responded. "And since I don't see OuRyuumon around here, I would say that so have yours."

Alphamon's gaze hardened. "Enough talk. I've tried to reason with you time and time again, but you would never meet me halfway." He brandished his sword of light and sliced it diagonally at DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon parried the attack with the Twin Spear, which he flipped around and stabbed towards Alphamon's chest. Alphamon swerved his body to the left, so the spear just glanced across his armour. He then reached out and grabbed the base of the lance, holding it in place.

DarkKnightmon grunted and tried to retrieve the spear, jerking it around and trying to wrestle it from Alphamon's hold. "I've learned something, Alphamon, something very important…" he explained to his former friend. He narrowed his eyes and drove his boot into Alphamon's side, knocking him away from the Twin Spear.

"Never compromise…" he said before charging at Alphamon and locking weapons with him once again.

* * *

><p>Dorbickmon swiped the Tyrant Collbrande down on Omegamon. The white knight grunted and swung the Grey Sword to meet it, and the two swords clashed violently. The two struggled against one another, trying to break through the other's defence.<p>

However, Dorbickmon suddenly grinned and tilted his head back. "Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" As he shouted, his mouth began to leak violet flames. He jerked his head forwards and spewed fire from his mouth at Omegamon.

Omegamon shouted with pain the inferno swept over his body, but he quickly fired back with a cannon blast to Dorbickmon's chest. The impact wiped the smirk off Dorbickmon's face and sent him sprawling to the ground.

Upon crashing to the ground, Dorbickmon stabbed the fiery Tyrant Collbrande into the ground and accessed the Digital World's dragon veins. "Burning the Dragon!" he shouted, once again manipulating the earth around them.

Omegamon looked around himself warily. He pivoted suddenly when he saw a nearby boulder suddenly fly towards him. He pulled his cannon up and fire three hefty blasts from the Garuru Cannon. The three spheres of compressed power slammed into the boulder one after the other, shattering the giant piece of rock to fragments.

Dorbickmon suddenly caused a large piece of land to shoot up behind Omegamon take out the back of his legs, causing them to buckle. Omegamon fell onto his back with a crash. Wincing, he aimed his cannon towards Dorbickmon, who was sitting up, and fired.

Sneering, Dorbickmon tore his sword from the ground and used it to help brace for the attack. It only helped so much as the freezing pressure exploded on contact with him and sent him crashing into a tree.

With a low snarl, Dorbickmon stood up, his back against the tree. "Bastard…" he growled, his eyes blazing with anger. "Tyrant Collbrande!"

Once again, his sword amplified and he swept the massive, fiery blade towards Omegamon. Omegamon rolled to his feet and blocked the attack, trying to hold against the overwhelming blade. However, Dorbickmon's sheer strength broke his defence, and the sword slammed into his body throwing him through the air. Omegamon landed on his chest, and he cried out with pain as the sword fell upon him another time, crushing him into the ground.

"I don't think you've had enough yet," Dorbickmon growled, raising the sword up slowly from Omegamon's trembling form. He hoisted the massive blade up over his head, ready to drive it down on Omegamon again.

Omegamon opened an eye and suddenly rolled onto his back. He aimed his cannon and fired at Dorbickmon while the dragon man was too exposed to defend himself.

Dorbickmon's eyes widened as the blast detonated on impact with his chest. A roar of pain escaped his lips as he was thrown clear through the tree behind him, causing the whole tree to topple down with a crash.

Grimacing with pain, Omegamon stood to his feet, more slowly this time. He forced himself to run over before Dorbickmon could formulate a counterattack. Omegamon jumped on top of the tree's fallen trunk and saw Dorbickmon already sitting up, glaring at him.

"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" he yelled, releasing a massive swath of flames towards Omegamon.

The white knight jumped out of the way of the flames, and saw the inferno completely consume the tree that had just fallen. Dorbickmon stood up and charged through the smoke, the Tyrant Collbrande in hand.

"You're going down, Whitey! One way or another!" he snarled, bounding off the burning trunk and diving towards Omegamon, swinging his sword back.

Omegamon narrowed his eyes and raised his cannon, pointing it at the oncoming dragon. With silent determination, Omegamon's Garuru Cannon pulsed and released a powerful blast that ripped through the sky towards Dorbickmon. Dorbickmon snarled and began to slash down his sword, but he was too late. The compressed orb of sub zero power collided with his body and detonated in mid air.

Dorbickmon was thrown out of the sky and he landed on the ground, not moving.

Omegamon waited, inspecting him for several seconds to see if he stirred again. When he didn't, the white knight turned towards DarkKnightmon and Alphamon, who were still fighting. He saw that Alphamon was having trouble. Omegamon knew that he needed to intervene.

* * *

><p>Alphamon slashed the Seiken Grad Alpha down towards DarkKnightmon. The knight pivoted and caught the sword with his shoulder blade before driving his spear into Alphamon's chest armour and firing a pillar of darkness against his body.<p>

He released a shout of pain as he was thrown onto his caped back, sliding across the grass.

"You are going to have to do better than that, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon told him, frowning at him stoically. "You're fighting sloppily, like you're distracted. You aren't wasting your thoughts on that waste of space known as OuRyuumon, are you?" he asked, knowing that that was likely the cause for Alphamon's distracted fighting style.

Alphamon sneered and stood to his feet, breathing heavily. "…Why didn't you tell me about him back before you went to the Dark Area? Why yesterday?"

"Because it benefited me more yesterday than it would have after I had just gone on a rampage," DarkKnightmon explained.

"How?" Alphamon demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Worry about the fight at hand, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon responded, whipping his lance down and firing another blast at Alphamon.

Alphamon sneered and made a backwards somersault, landing on his feet and pushing off to fly into the air. He braced against the explosion below him and only suffered being pushed through the air by the blast.

While Alphamon was distracted, DarkKnightmon lowered his weapon and lunged into the only remaining tree nearby. After a few moments, he burst from its branches and flew above Alphamon. Their eyes met for just a moment before DarkKnightmon slammed the Twin Spear down into Alphamon's chest.

Alphamon crashed to the ground on his back, sending a shockwave through his body and twisting his left wing painfully in the process. He let out a winded gasp. Meanwhile, DarkKnightmon kept up his assault. He descended upon Alphamon, spear in hand. However, Alphamon raised his hand up and fired a surge of green energy from his palm.

The emerald pillar of light engulfed DarkKnightmon and threw him upwards. Although grimacing with pain, DarkKnightmon swung his arm down and retaliated with a destructive blast from his Twin Spear. Alphamon swung his holy sword up in front of him to protect himself from the darkness, but his arm buckled after a few seconds and the blast crushed him into the ground.

DarkKnightmon let out a grunt and landed at Alphamon's feet, inside the smoking crater near the base of the tree. The knight stomped on Alphamon's gut before grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the trunk of the tree. DarkKnightmon then stabbed the tip of his Twin Spear through one of the openings in Alphamon's twisted wing, piercing through it and pinning him to the tree. Alphamon shouted in agony.

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and drove his fist across Alphamon's face. He punched him again, and then again. "That's always been your problem, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon said, taking Alphamon's chin in his hand and pressing his horned head back against the tree. "You're afraid to get your hands dirty. That's why you're weak…"

Alphamon narrowed his crimson eyes, breathing heavy with pain and fury. "I've gotten stronger…" he told him, staring at him defiantly. "In body and in spirit…"

"Lies… Your spirit is breaking. I can see it in the way you fight," DarkKnightmon said, leaning in close to stare his cold, yellow eyes into Alphamon's animated red ones.

"Then there's always my body!" Alphamon retorted, suddenly pressing both hands against DarkKnightmon's chest and firing two lasers at point blank range into him.

DarkKnightmon growled with pain and flew back several meters onto the ground. Alphamon reached over and wrenched the Twin Spear out of his wing with a grunt of pain and effort. He tossed it aside and gripped the Seiken Grad Alpha as DarkKnightmon stood up.

DarkKnightmon looked at Alphamon. He then glanced over at Twin Spear nearby. Timing his movements carefully, he suddenly lunged for it.

"Garuru Cannon!" a voice shouted from behind him.

DarkKnightmon released a shout of surprised as he felt a numb pressure slam into his back and send him flying off his feet. He landed on top of the Twin Spear with a clatter of metal.

Alphamon looked up and saw the battle-worn figure of Omegamon standing nearby, his Garuru Cannon aimed at DarkKnightmon. His armour and cape smoked and he looked weary from his battle.

The Lord of the Empty Seat nodded at him and turned to DarkKnightmon, who stood to his feet.

"So you defeated Dorbickmon…" DarkKnightmon observed, turning around and facing Omegamon. He looked past Omegamon at Dorbickmon and grinned behind his helmet.

"It's two against one, DarkKnightmon," Alphamon remarked.

"Last time we fought it was five against one," DarkKnightmon dryly said. "And anyways…" There was a victorious glint in his eyes. "Your math is wrong."

Alphamon's eyes widened. "What?"

DarkKnightmon looked up at the tree above him and Alphamon, leering into its thick canopy. "Now, MirageGaogamon."

"Double Crescent Mirage!" a voice shouted.

Two crescent-shaped bursts ripped through the branches of the tree, slicing them effortlessly, and slashed across Omegamon's chest. The white knight cried out with pain and collapsed onto his back.

"_Sloppy mistakes, Royal Knights_," DarkKnightmon thought to himself as he raised his spear towards the shocked Alphamon. As soon as he saw the cobalt blur shoot out of the tree's canopy, his gaze hardened. "Twin Spear!" The Twin Spear released a torrent of shadows that enveloped Alphamon and blew the nearby tree to pieces.

Alphamon was propelled across the ground fiercely, rolling along the grass and landing on his bleeding wing and back.

MirageGaogamon descended on Omegamon at a blinding speed that rivalled UlforceVeedramon's. Omegamon tried to stand to his feet to defend himself, but his movements were too slow, his mind too sluggish from distraction, and his body too tired from his battle with Dorbickmon. MirageGaogamon's clawed gauntlets ripped across Omegamon's body from multiple directions, slashing through his armour, rending the black fabric on his waist, and cutting into the skin beneath.

Omegamon grimaced with pain and he lashed out with the Grey Sword, but he found himself missing the speedy Digimon. When MirageGaogamon's attacks let up, Omegamon decided to perform one final stand, knowing that his body was on the verge of giving out. He raised his cannon and aimed at DarkKnightmon.

"Garuru Cannon," he breathed, firing at the knight.

DarkKnightmon sneered and blocked it with his Twin Spear. He held against the attack, but it managed for blast him back several paces. He whipped the Twin Spear out to the side in a swift, decisive motion. "Dorbickmon, MirageGaogamon, do it."

Alphamon propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at Dorbickmon. He thought he was unconscious. In actuality, Dorbickmon was wounded, but conscious. The crimson dragon lay on his stomach but raised his sword over his head. "Burning the Dragon!" he snarled, stabbing the Tyrant Collbrande down into the ground.

Alphamon sneered and tried his best to move his protesting body to scramble to his feet. He felt the earth quaking beneath him. Just as he was about to stand, rocks shot up from around the knight and curved over his limbs to restrain him and pull him against the ground.

"What the-?!" he demanded with anger, fighting against a large rock pulling against his arm, and trying to pull his leg away from being sucked into the ground.

MirageGaogamon nodded and turned to Omegamon. "My apologies, Sir," he calmly spoke. "Full Moon Blaster!"

With a nimble push of his legs, MirageGaogamon jumped high into the air. As he reached the apex of his jump, the wolf head on MirageGaogamon's chest armour opened up and released a torrent of intense, yellow energy. The beam streamed from his chest and descended on the white knight, blasting Omegamon's body and crushing him into the ground beneath a giant explosion.

"Grah!" Alphamon, who watched as this took place, yelled in frustration, blasting one of his rocky bonds away only for it to be replaced by another. "Omegamon!"

The smoke cleared and revealed Omegamon at the bottom of the crater, unconscious from the superdreadnought-class blast.

DarkKnightmon walked through the blast of wind that resulted from the explosion and stood at the edge of the crater, staring down. "MirageGaogamon, take him quickly," he told him. "It won't be long until Alphamon's free."

"Yes sir," MirageGaogamon replied, flying down and landing at the bottom on the crater. He scooped Omegamon up in his arms after making sure that he was unconscious.

"What?!" Alphamon demanded, struggling more violently, trying to wrench his arms, legs, and wings free from the rocks that Dorbickmon summoned. "What are you doing?!"

DarkKnightmon ignored him. "Get a head start," he told MirageGaogamon. "I'll carry Dorbickmon."

"Would you?" Dorbickmon asked, grimacing and sweating with concentration. "I don't know how much longer… I can keep this up."

MirageGaogamon nodded and flew through the air, the unconscious Omegamon in his arms.

"No!" Alphamon shouted, watching as MirageGaogamon began taking off with Omegamon. "Digitalize of Soul!" He started firing beams of green energy from his palms, both at the rocky restraints, and at DarkKnightmon and Dorbickmon. He couldn't aim at MirageGaogamon without risking hurting Omegamon.

DarkKnightmon scowled when a beam detonated nearby and sent a blast of energy and dirt over them. He nodded at Dorbickmon, who pulled his sword from the ground. The dark knight quickly picked up Dorbickmon in his arms and began flying away, after MirageGaogamon.

"Omegamon!" Alphamon yelled after them. "DarkKnightmon! Stop it!"

They didn't respond. Alphamon growled and slashed at the rocks very precisely with the Seiken Grad Alpha, tearing through the thick rocks around his arms. Once they were free, he was able to start hacking away at the rocks over his torso, wings, and legs. After about another minute or so, Alphamon stood to his feet, ignoring the resistance and protests of his exhausted body. Alphamon flapped his wings and flew into the air, but he found his left wing giving way, too twisted and wounded to fly properly.

"No!" Alphamon snarled with frustration, catching himself by landing on his feet. He started sprinting after them, but by then they were already specks in the grey, cloudy horizon.

Alphamon slowly came to a stop when it was finally apparent that he was physically unable to catch up. He staggered for a few final paces before his legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees, panting.

He looked up with wide, distraught eyes as the specks disappeared in the horizon, Omegamon with them.

Alphamon grimaced and, in an act of rage and anguish, drove his fist deep into the ground.

"OMEGAMON!"


	27. Chapter 18: Bonds

**Chapter 18: Bonds**

"Where are they?"

Duftmon stood in the council room with folded arms and a tapping foot. He had an irritated look on his face. Around him stood the eight other Royal Knights, all of whom were clad in their armour.

"Who knows?" UlforceVeedramon asked, leaning back against the white, round table behind him. "Nobody's seen them."

"OuRyuumon said that they were going to meet KaiserGreymon and AncientGarurumon, but when I called the Warrior Ten, they said that they didn't know anything about it," Dynasmon remarked, frowning deeply.

"They should have been around today," Duftmon spoke angrily. "There were three simultaneous attacks from mercenary groups in our territory. We were able to drive them back, but those attacks were no coincidence. They were coordinated to happen at the exact same time. I'm completely certain of that."

"It sure looks that way, doesn't it?" Dukemon mused. "Alphamon and Omegamon would've told me if they were going anywhere…"

"Leaders require accountability!" Duftmon ranted. "He can't just go off on a moment's notice without telling anybody. And I expected better from Omegamon."

"Now, Duftmon, we don't know what happened," Sleipmon said, looking over at the agitated strategist.

"Perhaps they couldn't control their desires any further and eloped!" RhodoKnightmon suggested excitedly, clasping his hands together.

"I think we can definitely rule that idea out, Rhodo," Dukemon said with a small grin.

"They were gone early in the morning," Examon observed. "Maybe there was a different attack earlier on that they went to deal with."

"It's possible…" Magnamon mused.

"Maybe OuRyuumon knows more than he let on," Craniamon suggested, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The double doors of the council room suddenly opened with a loud creak, garnering the attention of all nine of the Royal Knights. They were shocked when they saw the haggard, battle-bruised form of Alphamon stagger into the room. His armour was covered in dirt, scuffs, dents and punctures. His cape was caked in mud and torn in several places. Blood dripped from the underside of his left wing, splashing onto the marble floor and leaving a trail of crimson droplets all the way from the foyer. If the knights looked closely at his face, they would have been able to see the absolute guilt and devastation in his sombre eyes.

Behind him was the long, red, draconic body of a DORUGreymon, who craned his long, maned neck to look at Alphamon with a worried expression. "Please, Sir! You need to go see Duskmon for medical attention!"

"Alphamon!" Magnamon cried out in concern, jogging over to him to help him stand.

"What the hell happened?!" Dukemon demanded, going over to him with worry as well. "You're hurt."

Craniamon's eyes widened slightly at the sight. He looked over at Examon. "Somebody actually did that to Alphamon…?"

"I… guess," he responded, just as shocked as the others. Examon had never seen Alphamon get hurt before. He wondered who was able to do that.

"DarkKnightmon…" Alphamon whispered, staring at the floor in front of him.

"What?!" Dukemon asked, his yellow eyes burning with anger. "DarkKnightmon did this?!"

"Alphamon…" Duftmon said to him calmly. "Tell us what happened exactly."

Alphamon stalled for a few moments. Finally, he sighed and nodded, cringing in a mixture of physical pain and remorse. "…Omegamon and I went out to look for DarkKnightmon. He broke MirageGaogamon out of prison and Reapermon sent one of Metallife's scout pods after him, so we knew where to look."

"You two went _alone_?" Dynasmon asked, narrowing his eyes. "After what DarkKnightmon did last time?"

Alphamon grimaced. "There wasn't time to wait for others to get ready. I couldn't let that opportunity pass," he responded. "Besides, half of you don't know what you're up against with him."

"That's no excuse to do something so reckless and foolish," Duftmon chastised him.

Alphamon glared at Duftmon but kept silent.

"What happened next?" Magnamon asked him gently.

"We were ambushed at the site where the scout drone was destroyed," he explained, his eyes wandering back to the floor. "By DarkKnightmon and a new ally of his, Dorbickmon."

"Dorbickmon?" Examon asked.

"Those aren't all that common…" Dynasmon said, remembering seeing one of the species before. The violet dragon man then frowned as he noticed something off about the situation. "…Where's Omegamon?" he asked, a few notes of worry in his voice.

Alphamon suddenly grimaced. "He…" He paused. "We were fighting them, but then MirageGaogamon appeared… He tipped the tide of battle in their favour… Omegamon and I were beaten down… and…"

"…What?" Dukemon asked, placing his hand on Alphamon's shoulder, his chest suddenly constricting with worry. "What happened, Alphamon?"

"Omegamon was knocked unconscious…" Alphamon explained, the guilt plain on his face. "They took him. Omegamon's been captured…"

"What?!" Dynasmon shouted, clenching his fists.

"No…" Magnamon whispered, staring at Alphamon in shock.

"Unbelievable…" Craniamon murmured, frowning hard.

"That can't be," Dukemon spoke with a scathing growl in his low voice.

Duftmon's gaze on Alphamon hardened for several seconds. "This is a complete disaster… Not only were you both absent today when three simultaneous attacks were taking place, but now one of our finest warriors has been taken prisoner by the enemy… Well done, Alphamon…"

Alphamon's fists curled up into tight, trembling balls.

"Stop it, Duftmon," Sleipmon chastised him, wincing with grief at the grim news. "That's not helping anything…"

"Yeah," UlforceVeedramon spoke, his face hard and serious. "We need to focus on how we're going to get him back."

"Very well," Duftmon conceded curtly. "We can likely deduce from the fact that DarkKnightmon has, indeed, taken Omegamon prisoner, that he also has a base of operations somewhere. He needs to keep him somewhere, after all. It's also likely that it's located somewhere within the Free Area, based on all of his prior sightings." Duftmon's brows narrowed with thought. "However, it's hard to deduce why he would take him prisoner at all. Surely not for ransom… Moreover, why take Omegamon but not you as well?" he asked, looking over at Alphamon questioningly.

"I don't know…" Alphamon admitted grimly. "He probably could have if he wanted to."

"Thank Yggdrasil that he didn't then," RhodoKnightmon spoke.

"I wonder… Could this be connected to the three attacks we repelled around noon?" Duftmon mused.

"Maybe…" Examon responded.

The DORUGreymon cleared his throat audibly. "A-Alphamon… You really need to see the physician. You're still bleeding."

"He's right, Alphamon," Magnamon agreed. "Dukemon and I will help you down there."

Alphamon grunted with reluctant compliance. "Fine…" he muttered. "Just can't believe that this happened…"

Duftmon glared at him. "I don't know what you expected, Alphamon," he remarked, folding his arms across his chest and tilting his head back and to the side slightly.

"Give it a rest, Duftmon," Dukemon warned him.

Dynasmon frowned and looked away. He didn't like to admit it, but he agreed with Duftmon on this. If they had just asked him and a few other knights to go along too, then it was likely that Omegamon wouldn't have been captured.

Alphamon's gaze hardened and he slowly turned towards Duftmon.

"He's our leader!" Duftmon responded. "He ought to know better. He needs to know that things like this are unacceptable for someone in his position. If the roles were reversed, he would have said the same thing to any of us." Duftmon turned and locked his eyes with Alphamon. "All of this – Omegamon's capture – is entirely your fault, I hope you know."

"I KNOW!" Alphamon snapped at him angrily, taking a step towards the leopard knight. The unexpected volume from Alphamon silenced the room. "Do you think that I don't know that?! That I'm not cursing myself and blaming myself for what happened to him?! Well, I knew full well without your infinite wisdom, but thank you for making sure that I was aware of my massive mistake. But I suppose you just enjoy twisting the knife, don't you?"

Duftmon went silent for a few moments, taken off guard by his outburst. "…I simply have the best interests of the Order in mind," he replied quietly. "I take no pleasure in Omegamon's capture or the effects that it has on you."

Alphamon grunted and turned towards the doors, his back to the Royal Knights. "I can carry myself to the medical ward, Magnamon, Dukemon."

"That's great," Dukemon said, taking Alphamon's arm and pulling it over his shoulders. "I'm still gonna take you."

"I'll come too," Magnamon told them.

Alphamon sighed and nodded weakly, letting Dukemon help him out of the room and to one of the nearest doors in the great hall. He winced as they walked; every movement sent pain shooting through some part of his body.

"He's just as strong as before, I see…" Dukemon mused grimly, walking Alphamon down the corridor.

Alphamon gave a soft nod. "…I should have stopped him back in the Mesozoic Kingdom, when I had the upper hand," he muttered. "I never should have fallen for his trick."

"What trick?" Magnamon asked, looking up at Alphamon as he followed from behind.

"…Nothing," Alphamon answered, not wanting to involve the other knights in what happened with OuRyuumon. "Just some effective tactics."

"DarkKnightmon's always been cunning," Dukemon said with a stern frown. "But we've gotten a lot stronger since back then."

"So has he," Alphamon replied.

"I guess so…" Dukemon supposed, figuring that DarkKnightmon must have honed his abilities in the chaotic Dark Area. He looked over at Magnamon. "Hey, Magna, can you run ahead and tell Duskmon to get a bed ready?"

"No problem," Magnamon answered, jogging ahead to the medical ward.

Dukemon watched as Magnamon disappeared around the corner. When the knight of miracles was gone, Dukemon turned to Alphamon. "How're you doing?" he asked him in a sympathetic voice.

"You can see for yourself," Alphamon told him dryly, gesturing to his form.

"Not what I mean…" Dukemon explained, rubbing Alphamon's back.

Alphamon cringed. "…Terrible… Perhaps DarkKnightmon's right. If I wasn't so weak, maybe none of this would have happened. If I had stood up to him… or…"

"Don't let DarkKnightmon get to you," Dukemon told him firmly. "DarkKnightmon's 'power' isn't _real_ strength. It's a slippery slope that ends at oppressing the Digimon we swore to protect."

"He isn't entirely wrong though, Dukemon," Alphamon said solemnly, looking at the crimson knight. "I'm afraid to make controversial decisions because I'm afraid of tarnishing my image."

"You're the leader of the Royal Knights; of course you think about your image. And besides, you inducted Sleipmon into the Order; that raised a lot of eyebrows but you still stood by your decision," Dukemon reassured him. "Don't listen to DarkKnightmon's crap. You're letting him get into your head."

"It's not all garbage though…"

"It is, damn it," Dukemon told him sharply. "You're thinking this way because you couldn't stop Omegamon from getting captured. You're not the only one with insecurities, you know…" He smiled at Alphamon a bit. "This is coming from the so-called 'Ticking Timebomb', after all…"

"Dukemon…" Alphamon said with a frown. "Nobody thinks that about you."

Dukemon gave him a sad smirk. "Don't they?" he asked him. He gave Alphamon a pat on his back. "Anyways… DarkKnightmon will try to play on my insecurities about the Digital Hazard when he gets the chance. He's always done that with our enemies back when he was one of us. Now he's doing it with you. He's a bit like that Gaiomon guy that KaiserGreymon knows, in that respect."

"Yes… You're probably right," Alphamon said as they approached the medical bay. "Do you think that's why he took Omegamon?"

"Maybe… Who knows?" Dukemon said, sighing a bit upon thinking about their friend. "Omegamon's tough… He'll be okay."

Alphamon nodded with a soft wince. He still felt guilty about Omegamon, not just because of all that had happened between them, but also because Omegamon never would have been captured if Alphamon hadn't insisted on going after DarkKnightmon. He could never forgive himself if something happened to Omegamon.

Dukemon helped Alphamon into the medical bay, which had a few soldiers in there from the brief fights against the mercenary groups earlier. They saw Magnamon and Duskmon standing beside a fresh bed.

Duskmon approached them and his multiple eyes began looking Alphamon's body over. "That wing might be broken, Alphamon," he observed.

"I'm fine, Duskmon," Alphamon insisted unconvincingly.

"You're fine when I say you're fine," Duskmon responded, helping Dukemon bring Alphamon over to the bed to sit him down. "Now, set a good example for your subordinates and behave."

Alphamon gave him a weak nod of compliance and sat down, letting Duskmon strip off his chest armour to observe the damage underneath. He closed his eyes and took to his thoughts as Duskmon made his inspection.

"_Hang in there, Omegamon. We're coming for you_."

* * *

><p>The faint, whipping sound of flames flowed into Omegamon's ears as he started to fade back into consciousness. Initially, he barely registered the sounds; the first thing that he noticed was the numb, throbbing pain throughout his body. His head ached the worst, but the pain wasn't as bad as he expected, considering what had happened before he was knocked out by MirageGaogamon's last attack.<p>

Omegamon groaned a bit at the pain. He felt pressure on his knees and feet. As the knight began to regain his consciousness more fully, he became aware that he was in a kneeling position. He started to wonder why that was. Omegamon tried to stir a bit, to reach out and get his bearings. This was when he became aware of a strange, tight feeling around his upper body. He found himself unable to move his arms at all.

The Royal Knight slowly opened his blue eyes to see what was going on. His vision was blurry and everything was dark except for the individual torches along the walls. As his vision started to focus and adjust, he saw that he was in the center of a long, ornate hall. It looked similar to the great hall of the Royal Knights' headquarters, but smaller and less grand.

Next, Omegamon looked down to see what was inhibiting him. His eyes widened to see that he was completely restrained. Solid, metal chains were wrapped around Omegamon's upper body, tightly pinning his arms to his sides from his shoulders down to his waist. He saw that the chains also coiled around his wrists before they lead down to attach to a pair of thick, metal rungs in the marble floor, one on each side of his body. This served to keep him in a kneeling position.

Shock and alarm flooded through his body, waking him up fully. Omegamon grunted and instinctively struggled against the chains tied around his caped and armoured body, trying to break them or loosen them enough to free himself. When this didn't work, he then tried to stand to his feet, but thanks to the chains holding him down, he couldn't get his knees more than a few centimeters off of the ground. A frustrated growl escaped Omegamon's mouth as he began to feel desperate. He didn't have either of his weapons and these chains seemed particularly strong. They were definitely too strong for him to break, but that didn't stop him from trying.

It wasn't long until Omegamon began to hear a sound other than the frantic rattling of his chains. He heard metal footsteps echoing down the hall as they hit the marble floor.

"Those are chrome digizoid chains," a familiar voice explained to him from behind.

Omegamon ceased his futile struggle and looked over his shoulder with a glare. He watched as DarkKnightmon emerged from the shadows and walked towards him. "DarkKnightmon…" he murmured lowly, narrowing his eyes.

"They can only be broken by chrome digizoid weapons, the highest of temperatures, or the strongest of attacks," DarkKnightmon continued, walking up to him.

Omegamon grunted and looked off to the side. "I'm aware… of how chrome digizoid works," he answered through a twinge of pain. He suddenly turned his head and began to look all around himself. "…Where's Alphamon? What did you do with him?"

"We had to leave him," DarkKnightmon answered calmly, stopping right in front of the restrained knight and looking down at him. "He was still too volatile and we could only carry one of you, with Dorbickmon badly injured."

"It doesn't add up," Omegamon said, glaring up at him. "You always wanted to remove Alphamon from power. Why take me and not him instead?"

"The simplest solution isn't always the best one… We capture Alphamon and then the whole Order descends on us," DarkKnightmon responded.

"And they'll just forget about Alphamon's second-in-command?" Omegamon challenged. "Alphamon wouldn't… None of them would. I'm sure of it."

"I'm sure you're right," DarkKnightmon said enigmatically, resting the Twin Spear on one of his shoulders.

Omegamon narrowed his eyes into a suspicious leer. "What are your plans for me?"

DarkKnightmon squatted down in front of Omegamon so that he was at eye level with the kneeling knight. He used his spear like a stick to balance himself. "I'm not going to explain it to you, Omegamon."

"Think about what you're doing, DarkKnightmon," Omegamon told him, staring into his eyes.

"I have been thinking…" DarkKnightmon responded decisively, staring back.

"About all of it…" Omegamon urged him. "About this misguided goal of yours of taking over the Order… I know that a lot has happened, but it's not too late to go back."

DarkKnightmon reached out and placed his hand on Omegamon's shoulder, gripping it gently. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Omegamon. …I'm glad because, despite all that's happened, I still consider you and I to be friends."

Omegamon frowned slightly and looked down at the chains around his chest. "Do you restrain all of your friends?" he asked him dryly.

DarkKnightmon smirked at the comment. "Just when it's the only way to make them listen to me…"

"I've always listened to you…" Omegamon told him, gazing into the dark knight's gold eyes, hoping to strike an emotional chord with him.

He gave a barely audible exhale. "Yes… Yes, you have," DarkKnightmon spoke. "You have always understood me when nobody else bothered. I suppose that's partially why you're here."

"That's not true. Alphamon and the others listened to you too. They just didn't tell you what you wanted to hear," Omegamon replied.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't generalize my actions to just throwing a temper tantrum when I didn't get what I want," DarkKnightmon replied. "There's much more to it than that and you know it." The dark knight furrowed his brow. "Is OuRyuumon still slinking around like the snake that he is?"

"I believe so…" the captive knight answered.

"So, Alphamon did nothing to punish him, I shouldn't wonder."

Omegamon frowned a bit. "He didn't condone OuRyuumon's actions in the slightest. That's all I'm saying."

DarkKnightmon gave a ghost of a grin behind his helmet and slid his hand down Omegamon's chest to pluck one of the chrome digizoid chains with his finger. "That is your prerogative," he answered, standing back up to his feet. "You're not kneeling there so that I can interrogate you."

"'Kneeling' being to operative word…" Omegamon muttered. "Is this one of your mind games?"

"Coincidence, I assure you. There aren't enough precautions I can take with you, and this place doesn't have a proper dungeon that I can hold you in, so we had to make do with placing you there," DarkKnightmon explained.

The Royal Knight turned his head and looked around the great hall. "…This is the Lupolford town hall. The great hall, to be exact. Aren't you afraid somebody could walk in and see me?" he noted, recognizing some of the familiar features. "What happened to Wolfmon, the mayor we appointed after Anubismon was deleted?"

"Don't worry. We've made it clear that nobody is to enter without Dorbickmon's expressed permission. As for Wolfmon… Dorbickmon scared him into silence. We allow Wolfmon continue with his usual duties and he keeps us secret while we control the town hall," DarkKnightmon explained. "Did I not tell you all that the Free Area was a flawed concept? That something like this might happen?"

"You have a very unique way of proving your point, DarkKnightmon," Omegamon calmly stated. He narrowed his blue eyes as he looked up at the knight standing over him. "I'll ask you once more. What do you plan to do with me?"

"Just be patient, Omegamon. You aren't going anywhere," DarkKnightmon told him, walking past him and heading towards the doors at the back of the hall. "If you're hungry or need to use the facilities, just tell whoever's watching you and we can come to some arrangement."

Omegamon sneered behind his helmet and, again, tried to fight against his bonds. After a few minutes of struggling, he began to stop. It didn't look like he would be able to break free. He closed his eyes and sighed with distress and frustration. He hoped that Alphamon had managed to follow them here… unless it was DarkKnightmon's plan to use him as bait. It seemed like it was possible, since he was displayed in the center of such a large area that was conducive for a fight. Omegamon prepared for that possibility. He would much rather be able to find a way to escape on his own, without risking the other Royal Knights, but so far, he was at a loss for ideas.

Meanwhile, Dorbickmon and MirageGaogamon stood in the shadows, near the back end of the great hall. They observed the captive Royal Knight from afar.

Dorbickmon had bandages over his bruised and slightly frostbitten body. He turned to MirageGaogamon. "I don't get it. Why did DarkKnightmon bandage up that guy's wounds too? The weaker he is, the better."

"Even if Sir Omegamon was at full strength, he still wouldn't be able to break free from those chains," MirageGaogamon defended. "Besides, he and Sir DarkKnightmon have a history."

"Yeah, I know. DarkKnightmon was a Royal Knight," the crimson dragon flippantly said. "He's not now though. Now, they're enemies."

MirageGaogamon leered at Dorbickmon out of the corners of his eyes, silently judging him. "It is called loyalty…"

"Tch," Dorbickmon scoffed with a dismissive wave of his clawed hand. He looked in the opposite direction from MirageGaogamon with a grim expression. "Loyalty…"

"_Mercenaries_…" MirageGaogamon thought to himself with a disdainful shake of his head. "Anyways…" the lupine crusader began, his keen, yellow eyes drifting back to the chained Omegamon. "Do you happen to know what Sir DarkKnightmon's plans are for him?"

"Me?" Dorbickmon responded incredulously, turning to look at him. "I thought _you'd_ know! You and him are supposed to be all close from your time together with the bucketheads, aren't you?"

MirageGaogamon bristled. "Yes, well… you were the one who helped him escape, so I assumed you were more in the picture than I was…" he answered, defensively folding his arms. "So, you don't know either?"

"Not a clue," Dorbickmon admitted, turning his eyes towards Omegamon. "What do you think he's here for? Bait? Interrogation? Trying to win him over? Something else I'm missing?"

"I'm unsure," MirageGaogamon responded, frowning. "DarkKnightmon tends to keep his thoughts secret unless he has reason to tell them. We were put in a compromising situation by being careless with information in the past."

"Think he doesn't trust us?" Dorbickmon asked, folding his arms.

MirageGaogamon glanced over at the dragon shortly. "That's not it. There was a saying among the Royal Knights' forces… 'Loose babble loses battles.' It's just a case of being careful, especially in the early stages of our plans."

"If you say so…" Dorbickmon said with a shrug, sounding somewhat unconvinced. His yellow and violet eyes darted over to Omegamon. "It's risky having the great, white knight in shining armour around, even if he is under lock and key."

"I'm sure Sir DarkKnightmon knows what he's doing." MirageGaogamon began to walk away from the dragon, towards the door at the back left corner of the great hall. "It's your watch, by the way."

Dorbickmon shrugged and sat down against the wall, leaning against it and giving his sore legs a rest. He narrowed his eyes carefully at Omegamon, looking him over. "_I wonder how much he'd tell me about Examon… I wonder how much he actually knows, for that matter… I doubt Examon would be a Royal Knight right now if he knew that he tried to kill his best friend. Hm… Now there's a thought_…"

* * *

><p>It was now the early evening. The sun was half-set along the horizon and its rich, orange rays still reached out across the landscape. The sky began to darken into a deep, blue hue and stars became visible in the distance.<p>

Things began to quiet in the Royal Knights' castle. Many Digimon of the Order finished their duties for the day, so they had the chance to relax. However, not all Digimon could relax. The news of Omegamon's capture spread through the ranks quickly. It was an unsettling thing to hear, that one of the strongest Royal Knights and the second-in-command had been captured by a mysterious Digimon.

One of these unsettled Digimon was Alphamon. He resided in his room after being treated by Duskmon. He had been told by the physician to get some bed rest so that his wounds could heal. Alphamon, however, sat at his desk instead. His form was bandaged and his wing was in a splint. In front of him were papers and scrolls, strewn about his desk as he went through the Royal Knights' databases on his personal computer. He was trying to figure out the possible locations where DarkKnightmon could have taken Omegamon.

He took a drink of water and continued scanning through the database vigilantly. At first, Alphamon didn't notice the sound of his door handle turning.

Alphamon's door opened and a tall figure emerged in the doorway, peering in uncertainly. A set of purple eyes observed him through the widening gap. The door opened fully and Alphamon saw, out of the corners of his eyes, a familiar dragon enter his room. While he didn't turn to address him, his gaze began to harden a bit.

OuRyuumon walked into the room apprehensively. "Shouldn't you be resting?" he suggested, looking over Alphamon's bandaged form.

"In a bit," Alphamon curtly answered, his eyes still scanning across the computer screen. "I'm very busy right now."

"...I heard what happened. With you and Omegamon. I was worried when I heard you were hurt," OuRyuumon told him, taking a few steps closer to Alphamon. "So… you okay?"

"I'm fine," Alphamon told him, finally glancing over at the dragon Digimon. "If that's all, can you please leave?"

OuRyuumon couldn't help but cringe. "Leave?" he asked. "I came to see how you were, damn it! I know you're mad at me, but you don't have to be so damn callous!"

Alphamon gritted his teeth and shifted his chair to look at OuRyuumon more fully. "I'm mad at you for a good reason, remember," he answered, trying not to raise his voice in anger. He raised his hand to rub his eyes and sighed. "I don't need this right now, OuRyuumon. I'm very busy trying to coordinate Omegamon's rescue effort. If you're just here about our relationship, please come back another time."

"You say like our relationship doesn't matter at all…" OuRyuumon spoke, suddenly giving a toothy sneer. "Just tell me this!" he demanded. Suddenly, OuRyuumon felt very ill-at-ease. "…Are things over between us?"

Alphamon released a growl of annoyance and glared at OuRyuumon. "You _do_ know that Omegamon, a Royal Knight and one of our friends, has been captured by DarkKnightmon, don't you?" Before OuRyuumon could reply, Alphamon spoke up again, cutting him off. "He's been taken prisoner and _that's_ all you can think about?!"

OuRyuumon snarled and he suddenly retaliated with a dark glare of his own. "You're not the only one worried about him, you know! It just so happens that there are other things I care about too! You know, like you and me, which is more than I can say about what you care about!" the gold dragon snapped back fierily, balling his clawed fists up. "With you, it's been 'Omegamon this' and 'Omegamon that' for the past month!"

Alphamon narrowed his eyes hard at OuRyuumon. "_Of course_ I've been talking about Omegamon. I've been trying to mend my friendship with him and _now_ he's been taken by DarkKnightmon."

"Yeah?! And what about _our_ relationship?!" OuRyuumon demanded. "I didn't mind when you were stressed out and snapping at me, but that's _all_ you did. I'm sick of you always passing me over!"

"Passing you over?" Alphamon asked, his voice stern and rigid.

"Yeah! Like now. And like for the position of Royal Knight! I've been with the Royal Knights from the start and you never even considered making me one of you! You inducted Examon before me!" OuRyuumon passionately told him. He clenched his teeth. "You never even _think_ about me!"

"I'm the leader of the Royal Knights, OuRyuumon, I'm _not_ here to make you feel good about yourself," Alphamon responded severely. He turned his head away from the dragon. "I'm not even sure why I'm with somebody who's so selfish…"

"Selfish?!" OuRyuumon snapped, his blood boiling at Alphamon calling him that. "You're calling me _selfish_ after all that I do for you?!"

Alphamon growled and began to stand to his feet, but stopped when he felt pain shooting through his form. "Rgh… Oh, you mean like when you tried to murder DarkKnightmon for me, you mean…" he sarcastically replied, leering coldly at OuRyuumon.

"Yeah! Exactly like that!" OuRyuumon urged. "I did that for _you_! To _protect_ you!"

Alphamon's gaze hardened with fury. "If you think that I want that kind of protection…" he trailed off and turned back towards his computer. "You're twisted, OuRyuumon." He paused and considered his next words for a few moments. "…I want you to leave."

OuRyuumon scowled and swiped out his arm into the air. "Fine!" he shot back. "I'll be in my room when you want to apologize!"

"No, OuRyuumon…" Alphamon spoke, the anger from his voice gone. His words were suddenly heavy and there was a very subtle wince on his face. "I meant I want you to leave the Order…"

After a few seconds of taking in Alphamon's words, OuRyuumon's eyes slowly widened with disbelief. His previously animated arms fell to his sides and he looked at Alphamon to make sure that he was serious. "Wh…What…?" he asked softly. It was as if all of the passion and frustration had been sucked out of his voice and replaced with total shock.

Alphamon sighed and closed his eyes, leaning forwards on the desk in front of him. He couldn't look OuRyuumon in the face. "…Go back to our home city, OuRyuumon. Go back to New Terminal."

"W-Wait a sec, Alphamon…" OuRyuumon begged, taking a step forwards, the pain clear in his face and his voice. "You're not serious… Please…"

Alphamon grimaced and clenched his fists underneath his desk. "Go, OuRyuumon… It's over between us. And… you're not Royal Knight material… I'll reassign somebody to take over as the Captain of the Strike Forces."

OuRyuumon stared at Alphamon silently. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt an unbearable, stabbing pain in his heart, which seemed to pump at twice its normal speed. A hurt, heartbroken expression formed on OuRyuumon's face, but he allowed it to be visible only for a second before covering it up with his anger. "FINE!" he shouted furiously. "But don't you dare say that it's because of what I did to DarkKnightmon!"

Alphamon opened his eyes and slowly turned to look up at the tall, heartbroken dragon. "…What?"

"That's just a convenient excuse and you know it!" OuRyuumon exclaimed, half-sneering and half-grimacing. "You're only breaking up with me because you want to pretend that you're straight! You want to only like women for the sake of appearances!"

Alphamon felt a blow to his pained heart as well. "What?!" he demanded. "That isn't-"

"THEN WHAT IS!?" OuRyuumon snapped. He snarled and folded his arms. "Oh, I know! Maybe it was Omegamon who you wanted all along, given how much you go on about him!"

Alphamon growled and stood to his feet angrily. "OuRyuumon!"

OuRyuumon levelled his furious eyes with Alphamon's, revealing them to be cloudy and moist. "Do you think it's been easy having a bisexual boyfriend?! Not only having to worry about you liking other men, but other women as well?! It doesn't help that loads of them want you, since you're the leader of the Royal Knights."

Alphamon grimaced. "Well, you don't have to be insecure about us anymore…"

OuRyuumon growled and turned away. "Good! I'm glad I don't! You were always boring anyways!"

Alphamon chose not to respond and a tense silence grew between them.

"I'll go pack my damn things then," OuRyuumon spoke up, grimacing and not looking at Alphamon at all.

"Okay… Have a safe journey," Alphamon told him, looking down. "Tell your parents I—"

"Get fucked," OuRyuumon interrupted brusquely. He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Alphamon sighed and sat back down in his chair, slumping forward and staring at the ground with a pained grimace.

OuRyuumon marched down the corridor and disappeared into the second door on the right, his bedroom. He pulled the door closed with his tail and grabbed his belt from the floor, aggressively tightening it around his waist. He then pulled his Gairyu scimitars from the weapon rack and placed them inside the belt. Next, he took a large sack from underneath his bed and began angrily throwing his clothes and personal items into it. This excluded Alphamon's things, gifts from Alphamon, and things that reminded him of Alphamon, all of which he tossed into a corner of the room.

Once the cloth sack was full, OuRyuumon swung it over his shoulder. For a few moments, he stood there and glared at the wall in front of him furiously. OuRyuumon's body started to glow with an intense, golden sheen and aura.

"OUGAI!" he yelled, suddenly tearing forwards like a golden comet. OuRyuumon burst through the wall to the outside, completely destroying it with ease. Multiple shards of stone exploded outwards as OuRyuumon rammed through the wall before taking into the sky, soaring on his metal wings. Several guards whipped around with surprise, wondering why OuRyuumon suddenly destroyed the exterior wall of his room. However, none dared to try and stop the dragon. They could tell that he was furious about something.

Dukemon, who had been walking down the corridor of the sleeping quarters wing, suddenly raced over to OuRyuumon's room to see what had happened. When he opened the door, he was shocked to see a gaping hole in the wall to the outside. "What the hell…?"

The crimson knight jogged over to Alphamon's room and swung open the door. "Alphamon!" he exclaimed, running into his room. "Something- Alphamon?" He stopped when he saw the state that Alphamon was in.

Alphamon was hunched over his chair, rubbing his eyes with his hand to hide a pained grimace.

Dukemon frowned, immediately realizing that something was wrong. With worry and concern for his friend, he walked over to Alphamon and crouched down in front of him, placing his hand on his knee. "Alphamon… What's wrong? What's going on?"

Alphamon looked down at him with his distraught red eyes. "…I've dismissed OuRyuumon from the Order."

Dukemon gaped, his jaw nearly dropping. "You… what? Why…?"

Alphamon grimaced and looked down at his lap. "Dukemon, I… Sit down… There's something that I need to tell you. It's about OuRyuumon… and about myself…"

* * *

><p>OuRyuumon steamed through the air, the gold aura from his Ougai attack trailing behind him as it faded. He weaved around one of the watch towers and flew towards the open part of the castle grounds, where the training grounds and the target range were.<p>

"Stupid Alphamon… Stupid Order… Who the hell needs them…?" he snarled through a strained voice and tightly narrowed eyes.

He was so immersed in rage and sorrow, that he didn't realize that he was flying into the target range.

"Pendragon's Glory!" a voice shouted from overhead.

An emerald beam plummeted to the ground from the sky, twenty meters in front of OuRyuumon. The beam annihilated a target in the center of the firing range for ranged attacks. OuRyuumon was unaffected by this. He didn't care; he continued flying forwards recklessly, despite the danger of moving through the range unannounced.

"Pendragon's Glory!" Examon's voice echoed from above once again. The beam pierced the air and hit another target, closer to OuRyuumon this time.

OuRyuumon pressed on, tearing through the sky furiously.

Examon took aim at another target. "Pendragon's-!" His eyes widened when OuRyuumon finally passed into his field of vision, from his place fifty meters above the ground. His finger had already pulled the trigger of the Ambrosius. He grunted and desperately jerked the long lance in a different direction, making sure to only hit within the target range without hitting OuRyuumon. The lance fired and a green beam surged from its muzzle, striking down in the middle of the range, missing the targets, but luckily missing OuRyuumon by a few meters.

Examon sighed with relief when he saw that OuRyuumon was unharmed. However, he felt a twinge of irritation at OuRyuumon for doing something so reckless and foolish. The Caledfwlch wings flapped strongly before veering forwards and bringing Examon into a steep dive. Examon shouldered his lance and let his wings carry him down to the gold dragon.

OuRyuumon flew forwards stubbornly, nearly at the castle wall bordering the training grounds now. He clenched his fists and carried himself faster. Suddenly, something silver and red obstructed OuRyuumon's path and vision, dropping down in front of him. OuRyuumon angled his body and wings and came to a stop before he could crash into the broad wing in front of him.

He scowled. "Watch where you're going, damn it!"

Examon turned around in the air to face him, staring at him firmly. "_You_ should watch where you're going, Captain OuRyuumon," he told him in annoyance. "You just flew through the middle of the target range while Digimon were still firing. I know that it's sunset so the range is closing in several minutes, but you must have seen my atta-"

"Shut up and get out of my way, you friggin' pain in the ass!" OuRyuumon snapped at him, swiping his free arm out and pushing him out of the way.

Examon looked at him with surprise. He noticed OuRyuumon's face. His eyes were red and glossy and there seemed to be the trail of a tear of his cheek. "OuRyuumon…" he said, his tone softer than it was before. He observed the dragon with astonishment. "Are you… crying?"

"Like hell I am! It's just sweat, idiot!" OuRyuumon growled, although suddenly turning his face away from Examon.

Examon frowned deeply when he noticed the full bag slung over OuRyuumon's back. "Where are you going?" he asked him.

"Where does it look like?" OuRyuumon asked bitterly. "Away. I'm leaving the Order."

"…Why?" Examon questioned.

"None of your damn business!" OuRyuumon said. With that, he flew past Examon and began flying away.

Examon furrowed his brow as he watched OuRyuumon fly away from him. He looked at him and then turned back towards the castle. He wondered if the other Royal Knights knew about this. He considered going to tell them, but he knew how rash OuRyuumon could be. He figured that he shouldn't be left alone, even if OuRyuumon wouldn't thank him for it. He should try to get his fellow dragon to reconsider or at least find out what happened.

The Caledfwlch wings, in tandem with Examon's intentions, flapped strongly. The crimson dragon made his way after OuRyuumon.


	28. Chapter 19: Omega

**Chapter 19: Omega**

The night wind whistled outside of the Lupolford town hall. It was the only sound Omegamon could hear aside from the flickering of the torches and the infrequent footsteps of the Digimon guarding him.

He still kneeled in the middle of the great hall, bound down by the secure chains. He wasn't sure how long he had been there by now, but he was sure that it felt longer than it actually was. The time seemed to drag on with nothing to do but kneel there and think and wait. Omegamon felt an intense, numb, tingling feeling in his legs and arms, likely due to the tight restraints and being forced to retain the same position for lengthy amounts of time, he figured.

The sound of footsteps grew louder again. This time, they sounded like they were heading towards him.

Omegamon slowly opened his blue eyes just in time to see the colour of crimson in his view. He looked up to see Dorbickmon smirking down at him with his hands on his hips.

"How's it going, oh white knight?" he asked him with an air of levity in his voice.

Omegamon chose not to respond.

"Oh, come on. You must be bored, kneeling there for hours on end," Dorbickmon observed. "How'bout a chat?"

"Are you trying to get information out of me?" Omegamon simply questioned, looking up at him. "You needn't bother, because I'm not going to tell you anything."

"Hey, I've got no ulterior motives here," Dorbickmon explained, folding his arms. "What you see is what you get with me." He gave the knight a toothy, crooked smirk. "Trust me… if I wanted to interrogate you, you'd know about it. I just want to pass the time."

"All the same…" Omegamon replied. "I'm not in the mood for talking."

"I guess I don't blame you, given your situation," Dorbickmon conceded, looking down at him. "Okay. I'll do the talking then."

Omegamon went quiet and listened. It wasn't as if he could do anything to stop Dorbickmon.

"You're probably wondering who I am and why I'm out to get you and your companions, aren't you?"

Omegamon didn't respond initially. Internally, he did admit that the question of who Dorbickmon was had crossed his mind. "Mercenary?" he asked.

"No…" Dorbickmon answered. "I mean… yeah, that is my job, but DarkKnightmon didn't hire me. I'm not just doing this for a fancy payout." He grinned. "I guess, in a way, _I_ hired _him_."

"He's working for _you_?" Omegamon questioned with some surprise. This Dorbickmon seemed open to casual banter. Omegamon figured that, even though he was the prisoner, he could try to get some information out of him instead.

"No, he's doing his own thing. I'm just along for the ride because our goals kind of coincide," Dorbickmon freely told him. He smirked a bit wider. "That was why I freed him from the Dark Area to begin with."

Omegamon's eyes widened. "You…? But how?"

"It wasn't easy… It was so draining that it nearly killed me, to be honest," Dorbickmon explained. "Dragon veins… Leylines, if you prefer. They're these streams of raw power that flow through the earth of the Digital World that only a few Digimon can access. I used them to disrupt the security barrier of the Dark Area."

"Why?" Omegamon asked.

Dorbickmon grinned broadly. He was finally at the part that he had been waiting for. "Because I don't approve of your latest appointment to the Order. 'Examon', is it? Or the 'Dragon Emperor', maybe?"

Omegamon frowned. "Examon…?"

"I'm guessing he hasn't told you about his past… You really ought to look into the histories of your members more. It wouldn't sound very good if everybody knew that one of the Royal Knights was a murderer."

"…A murderer?" Omegamon spoke, looking up at him in surprise. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Well… attempted murderer," Dorbickmon replied, his grin disappearing completely and his facial features darkening. "I survived thanks to the town doctor."

Omegamon frowned deeply. "What are you talking about?"

"Examon and I used to be the best of friends. He was a Coredramon and I was a Strikedramon. One day, we were playing around and he suddenly flipped out and tried to kill me… Nearly blasted me right through," Dorbickmon explained with notes of a snarl in his voice. "The worst part was that he left me for dead. Didn't even go to get help."

"I can't believe that," Omegamon told him. "Examon wouldn't do something like that. Alphamon looks into potential Royal Knights very thoroughly."

Dorbickmon growled, leaning over the captive Royal Knight. "Think I'm lying? I've still got the scars to prove it."

Omegamon frowned. "They could be from anywhere. You're a battle-hardened mercenary."

A hiss escaped Dorbickmon's mouth. He leaned down and grabbed Omegamon's chin roughly, forcing him to look up at him. "Well, they're not. I guess you probably don't want to believe that one of your fellow Royal Knights is a cold, callous killer. You don't have believe me; I know the truth."

"I can take over from here, Dorbickmon," a voice echoed down the hall.

"Tch." Dorbickmon let go of Omegamon and stood up straight, looking over. "DarkKnightmon?" he asked, folding his arms indignantly. "Didn't know you were back."

"Can I have a word with Omegamon in private?" DarkKnightmon asked, walking down the great hall towards the two.

"Go ahead," Dorbickmon answered with a nonchalant shrug. "Mind if I go to the tavern?"

"Please yourself. Just don't run your mouth like you have been doing to Omegamon," the dark knight advised him.

Dorbickmon smirked. "I only said all that because I knew he wouldn't be escaping anytime soon."

DarkKnightmon looked at the red dragon man carefully. "All the same… Loose babble loses battles."

Dorbickmon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Okay… I heard that one already…" With that, Dorbickmon sauntered down the great hall in the other direction, towards the front entrance of the town hall. He disappeared into another room and, soon, the sound of two large doors opening and closing could be heard, followed by the sound of them locking.

"Omegamon…" DarkKnightmon greeted.

Omegamon glanced over as the black knight passed by him. "DarkKnightmon…" he muttered in reply.

"How are you feeling?" DarkKnightmon asked, in what sounded like a genuinely concerned tone.

"My legs are asleep… as are my hands. And my upper body is incredibly stiff," Omegamon answered him plainly. He looked up at DarkKnightmon with hard, blue eyes. "I'm getting frustrated with whatever game you're playing."

"I don't play games, Omegamon," DarkKnightmon assured him, returning the stare. "Not with what's at stake."

"Then what are your plans for me?" Omegamon asked, narrowing his eyes. "If you think that the Royal Knights are stupid enough to fall into whatever trap you're laying, you're underestimating them."

"You have the wrong idea…" DarkKnightmon explained. He crouched down in front of Omegamon so that they were at eye level with one another. Despite Omegamon's situation, he wanted to talk to him as if they were equals. "I want you to hear my side."

"You mean how the Royal Knights are too soft and ineffectual," Omegamon concluded. "I heard that opinion nearly a decade ago. The difference is, you have been in the Dark Area since then, so you can't actually say if our Order is ineffectual or not. We have lasted this long and the continent is still intact, so we must be doing something correctly."

"The previous mayor of Lupolford, Anubismon, raised an army of mercenaries and attacked the Dramon to the west, didn't he?"

"We became aware of his activities and stopped him before any real damage was done," Omegamon countered.

"If you all had listened to me, he never would have considered the idea in the first place," DarkKnightmon argued.

"I understand your point, DarkKnightmon, but the way you want to execute it isn't right. We can't intimidate Digimon into submission to our laws."

"It isn't about intimidation; it's about stringent order and rules, the ardent enforcement and subservience to our right and just laws. That's the only way that order and justice will prosper," DarkKnightmon urged him.

"If you want a society like that, go to the Metal Empire," Omegamon replied. "Besides, I can't help but notice the hypocrisy here. You talk about Anubismon hiring mercenaries when you're doing the exact same thing."

"Yes, well… necessity compels," DarkKnightmon responded. He sighed and looked at Omegamon with a soft gaze. "I'll tell you why you're here right now, Omegamon… I'm asking you for a second time, from one friend to another… Join me."

Omegamon looked at him incredulously. "Join you…?" he asked. "You can't be serious. You must think that I have no honour at all if you think I would turn against the Royal Knights."

"I'm not asking you to fight them, Omegamon. I want you to convince them that what I'm saying is right," DarkKnightmon explained to him.

"_I'm_ not convinced that what you're saying is right," Omegamon retorted, frowning.

"But you at least conceded that I have a point," DarkKnightmon pointed out. "Is what I'm suggesting really so outrageous?"

"You can't restrict a Digimon's freedom for the sake of maintaining order," Omegamon told him. He looked down at the chains around his body. "As someone whose freedom is being restricted, I know what it feels like, and it breeds resentment."

DarkKnightmon looked at Omegamon with a steely gaze and stood to his feet. "So… that's a no, I take it?"

"It's a no," Omegamon answered.

DarkKnightmon's cold eyes observed Omegamon quietly. "…At least think it over," DarkKnightmon told him. "I'll give you a day to consider it and then I'll ask you once more. The answer you give will determine how you and I will proceed from now on."

The white knight looked up at DarkKnightmon with a standoffish leer, one of his eyes concealed by the shadows cast on his face by the torches. "Is that a veiled threat, DarkKnightmon?"

"No. It's a fact, Omegamon," he answered rigidly. He began to walk past the bound Royal Knight. As he did, he placed his hand on Omegamon's shoulder. "I hope you make the right decision," he said, his hand sliding off his shoulder as he walked by Omegamon, towards the back of the great hall.

Omegamon frowned and thought to himself. He considered each of his limited options. He went over the pros and cons of each choice, and what DarkKnightmon's thought process might be regarding the proposal he made.

He had a choice to make and he needed to make sure it was the one that was best for both the Order and himself. Or, if it wasn't possible for both, then the one that he valued more.

* * *

><p>OuRyuumon and Examon flew north in the night, soaring through another territory of the Free Area. The dark sky made it hard to see, so they had to rely on their keen eyes and instincts. Most of the moonlight was blocked by the clouds, lighting them up dimly.<p>

Examon followed behind OuRyuumon, who he could tell was still bristling at his presence. "It's dark, OuRyuumon. At least find an inn to stay at for the night."

"For the last time, Exadork, _stop following me_," OuRyuumon growled, not even looking over his shoulder.

"Not until I figure out what's going on and where you're going," Examon stubbornly replied, flying after him. "Alphamon would be angry if I just let you go without saying anything."

"Tch. He wouldn't care," OuRyuumon muttered to himself.

"What?" Examon asked, not quite hearing that.

"I said 'bug off'. Go home already," the surly, gold dragon responded, looking behind him.

"It sounded like you said something completely different," Examon pointed out.

OuRyuumon growled and rubbed his face with frustration. "Look, I'm leaving the Order, okay?! Don't try to stop me. It's pointless."

"Why are you leaving the Order?" the other dragon Digimon pressed, wanting a real answer out of OuRyuumon.

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?" OuRyuumon asked, stopping his flight and turning to face Examon.

"I suppose," Examon responded, although he wasn't actually sure if he would do that, depending on OuRyuumon's answer.

"Okay… I'm leaving because I can't stand you," OuRyuumon replied, sneering at Examon. "Now go home."

Examon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at OuRyuumon blandly. "I find that hard to believe, even if I know that you don't like me," he answered calmly.

"Rrgh. Cripes, go home, Examon… I don't know why you even care what I do. We're not exactly close," OuRyuumon retaliated tiredly.

"I know, but I took an oath. Royal Knights look out for one another," Examon explained, folding his arms.

OuRyuumon scoffed and turned away, hiding his grimace from Examon. "I'm not a Royal Knight. I never have been."

"No, but you're still an important part of the Order," the crimson dragon replied. "The oath doesn't stop with other Royal Knights."

"Alphamon sure doesn't think I am," OuRyuumon muttered grimly.

"Alphamon?" Examon asked, arching an eyebrow.

OuRyuumon sighed and turned his back to Examon. "Look, there's a town up ahead. Wayside. We can stay there for the night and then you can head back to the castle in the morning," he told the Royal Knight.

"Fine…" Examon conceded. He knew that he couldn't keep following OuRyuumon forever, especially if this was a case of him being as stubborn as a Bullmon, so Examon figured that he could at least try to get to the bottom of what was going on before morning. He also hoped that OuRyuumon would calm down a bit once they were inside the inn and maybe had something to drink. Examon would make sure that OuRyuumon would only drink in moderation, of course. He thought to himself. "Do you think there will be enough room for the both of us?"

OuRyuumon glimpsed over his shoulder. "Whad'you mean?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

"In the room," Examon answered.

"What?! I'm not sharing a room with you!" OuRyuumon exclaimed, his eyes widening. He quickly turned forwards as his face heated up.

"I didn't bring any money with me," Examon sheepishly replied, shrugging. "I don't want to make you waste your bits on a second room for me."

OuRyuumon grimaced. He left in such haste that he hadn't thought about taking his share from the Royal Knights' vault before leaving, so he only had the petty cash that he had taken from his room. He might be forced to share the room with Examon to save money. "You've gotta be kidding! We can't share the same room!" he stammered. "The innkeeper might get the wrong idea!"

"…What wrong idea?" Examon questioned, oblivious to what he was talking about.

OuRyuumon flushed harder and sneered. "That we're sleeping together or something!" he yelled at him.

"We _are_ sleeping together. In the same room," Examon replied matter-of-factly, still not picking up on OuRyuumon's issue.

"They might think we're gay, idiot!" OuRyuumon shouted, glaring over his shoulder at Examon for making him spell it out.

Examon frowned. "But… we're not. It isn't strange if two Royal Knights share the same room. Besides, I'm sure they have double rooms."

OuRyuumon palmed his face and growled. "You've gotta be fu- Fine! Whatever. You do the explaining then."

"I can't say I understand the way your mind works sometimes, OuRyuumon," Examon told him, grinning a bit.

"I don't think you understand anything…" OuRyuumon muttered, flying ahead a bit faster. He began a slow descend towards the collection of dim lights far in front of them and Examon followed after him to the town.

* * *

><p>Dukemon walked out onto one of the castle balconies and let out an exhausted sigh. He brushed his hand through his white hair as it moved down to rub the back of his head. It was dark out now. The moons and stars speckled the dark sky as Dukemon approached the stone railing and leaned against the thick slab of rock.<p>

He looked out across the castle grounds. Several guards were walking to and from one side of the main building to gawp at the massive hole in the wall that OuRyuumon created. There was no doubt that gossip and rumours were already spreading about what had happened. However, of the Digimon there, only Dukemon knew the truth.

A flash of crimson caught Dukemon's attention. He turned his head and saw a familiar digital life form flying towards him. Zero ARMS: Grani soared over and stopped in front of the balcony, the moonlight glinting off of his metal back as he hovered.

"Dukemon, there you are," Grani said with a veiled sense of urgency in his composed voice. "What happened? There's a massive hole in OuRyuumon's wall."

"Yeah…" Dukemon said with a heavy breath. "I'm not sure how much I can tell you, but you're going to find this much out anyways. OuRyuumon's no longer a member of the Order…"

Grani stared at him with disbelief as the words sunk in. "…What?" he whispered. "But he's the Captain of the Strike Forces… He's been around since the Order was formed. …What happened?"

Dukemon frowned and looked down, over the edge of the balcony. "I'm not at liberty to say…"

Grani frowned. "You can't just say something like that and clam up," the Zero ARMS told him. "His subordinates will want to know. The other Royal Knights will want to know."

"Look, I don't know what I'm allowed to say," Dukemon countered shortly, raising his hand and rubbing his face irritably. "Alphamon's exhausted after today and so am I. We haven't sorted out what's best yet…"

"There's something going on and I'd like to know what…" the giant bird-dragon told his friend, flying over and perching on the railing beside Dukemon. "I can tell you're upset over something."

"I told Alphamon I wouldn't tell anybody. Not yet," the crimson knight sighed. "He told me a lot of things. He really needs to be able to trust me right now."

"This is me you're talking to, Dukemon…" Grani reassured him. "We've been friends for years. You know that I'll be the soul of discretion."

"Damn it, Grani, I can't," he said with deeply furrowed brows. "I promised."

"You want to, though. It's bad for you, Dukemon, when you don't get things off of your chest," the red dragon told him. "You know you can trust me with a secret."

Dukemon sighed and glanced up at the large, crimson raptor. "…You _sure_ you can keep a secret?" he asked, a bit of Dukemon's usual levity beginning to shine through again.

"If I breathe so much as a word, you can tell my whole reconnaissance squadron – no, the whole Order - about the time I landed in that bog and needed you to rescue me," Grani told him with a wry grin. However, his tone soon became the typical, serious yet calm voice that Gran was known for. "I just don't want you feeling like there is nobody you can turn to for advice."

Dukemon chuckled. "I appreciate it, but I am a big boy, you know," he replied with a tiny smile. "I know I've got problems with the Hazard, but you don't need to coddle me."

"Believe me, I'm not trying to," Grani assured him. "I know you're more than capable of handling your own problems, but there's nobody in this world that's above needing a friendly word of advice now and then. At the very least, it can't hurt to get a different perspective on whatever the problem is."

"Yeah, I guess so…" Dukemon conceded. He flashed Grani a look out of the corners of his eyes. "But if you do tell anybody, I really will tell everybody that story." He laughed at the memory. "'Zero arms', indeed."

Zero ARMS: Grani flushed and tilted his body to nudge Dukemon with his wing. "Yes, yes. Hilarious. So, what happened?"

"Well…" Dukemon began, closing his eyes. "Short answer: Alphamon and OuRyuumon had a massive argument."

"I see…" Grani spoke, inspecting Dukemon carefully. "What about the long answer?"

Dukemon looked around to make sure that nobody would hear except for Grani.

"Well… Remember the night that DarkKnightmon turned on us?" he began, glancing up at the metal dragon.

"It's hard to forget, going in and seeing the state of the castle, not to mention all of you," he answered.

"You know how DarkKnightmon apparently fell off one of the towers that night?" Dukemon asked. "Well, Alphamon said that OuRyuumon pushed him. DarkKnightmon told him yesterday when they met in the Claw Desert."

"Surely DarkKnightmon was lying to spread distrust among the ranks," Grani reasoned logically.

"That's what I said to Alphamon..." Dukemon said, pausing. "Except OuRyuumon admitted it. Thinking back on that night, it makes sense too… I still can't believe it though."

"I see…" Grani responded, frowning. "That… I'm not really sure what to say, actually…"

"I dunno either…" Dukemon said, sighing. "I'm still wrapping my head around it… I mean, I can see OuRyuumon's point of view. I wanted to give DarkKnightmon a good beating that day too. But still… that's going way too far."

"And that's what Alphamon and OuRyuumon had a huge argument about?" the Zero ARMS questioned.

"Sort of… It's a big reason, but it's not the whole reason…" Dukemon said. He turned to Grani. "You might want to sit down. This is going to be a big shock too."

Grani looked at him blankly as he perched on the railing. "I'm sitting to the best of my ability."

"Alphamon's bisexual," the crimson knight told him bluntly.

"Bisexual…" Grani repeated. He frowned. "And that means…?"

"He likes both males and females from a physical and romantic perspective," Dukemon explained.

"I see… And… that's a big deal? As a Zero ARMS, I only have a gender from an aesthetic and mental standpoint, not a biological one, so I'm not very good with these matters, as you well know," Grani sheepishly said.

"Well… yes and no…" Dukemon replied, scratching his head, with an expression that made him look like he was at odds with himself. "I mean, it's not a big deal that he's interested in both genders; Rhodo's gay and I'm cool with that. It's just a shock that I'm just finding out after all these years." He sighed. "I know not all of the Royal Knights will be thrilled about it if he ever tells them, though."

"Do you begrudge him for not telling you?" Grani asked.

"No… I understand why," Dukemon answered. "He explained to me. To be honest, I don't even really see him that differently. He's still the same guy."

"I'm glad about that," Grani told him. "But where does that come into the argument?"

"He was in a relationship with OuRyuumon, who's gay," Dukemon said with an ironic chuckle.

Grani blinked with disbelief. "They… were? But… that's like you and I being in a romantic relationship," the Zero ARMS remarked.

"Hey, now. Don't get any ideas," Dukemon teased his friend.

"Ignoring that…" Grani glanced over at him. "The most shocking thing is that OuRyuumon was able to keep a secret so well."

Dukemon chuckled a bit. "For you, maybe… But yeah… You can see why I'm a little out of it right now. It was a huge shock; I'm still coming to terms with everything. And there's still more to what happened… I haven't even gotten to Omegamon yet."

"Then perhaps we should go in to your room," Grani suggested, turning around on the railing to face the door. "It's more private there. And we can talk over some herbal tea."

"Yeah, okay…" Dukemon agreed, turning around and heading inside.

Grani gave Dukemon a sympathetic look and flew around to meet Dukemon at the balcony of his room.

* * *

><p>The morning rolled around across the Free Area. The dew laced along the countless blades of grass sparkled in the morning sun, whose light began to warm a small town after a somewhat crisp night. In the inn, OuRyuumon began to wake up after a tumultuous sleep.<p>

OuRyuumon gave a soft snarl as he woke up, slowly and groggily. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers and stirred in the bed.

He was situated in a relatively small double room. The gold dragon got what he paid for in the room, which wasn't a whole lot. He had tried to minimize the price since he didn't have a whole lot of money with him, and he needed to make it last until he arrived at New Terminal. He could smell the aromatic scent of tea and bread coming from the floor below, which was the tavern and dining area. Also, from that level, he could hear the muffled chatter of other guests talking over breakfast.

It was about the size of his room back at the Royal Knights' headquarters, which would have been fine, except there was a second bed thrown in nearby, which took up a lot of the actual space. Residing in that second bed was Examon, who slept in a bed about one meter adjacent from his. The beds were small for them. The dragon's large wings and long tail stuck out awkwardly from under the covers, stretching over the sides of the bed. This caused the blanket on top of the bed to slip down to Examon's waist, exposing the top half of the dragon's body. OuRyuumon could barely fit his own serpentine body in the small bed, having had to arch his back to fit.

OuRyuumon turned his head and looked over at Examon, inspecting the Royal Knight. "_I can't believe he's still here… stubborn bastard…_" he thought to himself. "_Can't he see that I didn't leave by choice?_"

The gold dragon sighed and continued looking at Alphamon. "_I'm gonna have to tell him something though… Surprised that he's going to all this trouble for me even though I made it clear that I didn't like him…_" OuRyuumon mused.

His violet eyes lingered on Examon, shifting from the red dragon's face down to his exposed chest. OuRyuumon began to appreciate the dragon's athletic chest muscles, his gaze going over the contours of his pectoral and abdominal muscles before eyeing his arms as well. He liked the sheen of his red and white scales as the sunlight from the window spread across Examon's wings and chest.

"_He sure is hot though…_ OuRyuumon thought to himself with a soft sigh through his nostrils as he enjoyed the scene before him.

However, the dragon soon grimaced and turned his head in the exact opposite direction, sneering with frustration and embarrassment. "_Don't be an idiot, OuRyuumon! You're on the rebound from Alphamon and you know it. Don't do anything stupid with a straight guy who you're trying to get to stop following you, damn it._"

Examon let out a soft groan as he began to wake up. He opened his eyes and squinted at the sunlight entering them. "Rrr…" he mumbled tiredly, yawning and sitting up in his bed. He turned to look over at OuRyuumon. "OuRyuumon…? Are you awake?" he asked him.

OuRyuumon paused for a moment to consider his answer. "…Yeah," he decided to reply, turning his head and looking up at the ceiling. The former-Captain pulled the bed covers down and slid out of bed, standing to his feet and stretching.

Examon pulled his sheets down too. He turned and slung his legs over the side of the bed, preparing to stand up next to OuRyuumon. When OuRyuumon turned around, he saw that Examon was sitting right behind him. His eyes immediately gazed down at Examon's waist and his spread legs, shamelessly checking his scaled torso out.

"_D-Damnit_!" OuRyuumon thought to himself, immediately turning away and flushing at the dirty thoughts entering his mind. "_Don't even think about it!_"

Examon stood up behind OuRyuumon and looked at him. "Feeling any better this morning?" he asked him.

"Fine!" OuRyuumon exclaimed swiftly, not turning around and trying to ignore the proximity of the draconic Royal Knight. "Just… get your armour on already!"

"Can I at least polish my lance first?" Examon questioned, folding his arms.

OuRyuumon's eyes widened and his face heated up greatly. "N-No! What d'you want to do that for?!"

Examon shrugged and looked over at the Ambrosius lance propped up against the wall. "I was planning to yesterday, but I guess it's not vital to do right now…" he supposed, walking over to his armour, which was strewn across a chair.

OuRyuumon sighed with relief and he began to relax again. He didn't entirely trust himself at the moment, after everything that happened yesterday.

Examon put on his armour over the front of his body so that the chrome digizoid covered from his abdomen up to his collar. He then turned back to OuRyuumon and folded his arms. "Have you reconsidered your idea?"

The jagged rows of teeth inside of OuRyuumon's mouth suddenly gnashed together. It looked like Examon wasn't giving up. "You're still on that, are you?" he asked, looking over at Examon with an irate sneer.

"I want to stop you from making a mistake," Examon told him calmly.

OuRyuumon scoffed. "A mistake…" he muttered. "You don't know the half of it."

"So tell me. I won't judge," the red dragon offered.

"It's… complicated," OuRyuumon said dismissively, walking across the room and plopping his tailed backside down on Examon's bed. "It's no use, whatever you're trying to do."

"At least hear me out, OuRyuumon," Examon told him, walking over and sitting on OuRyuumon's bed to face him.

OuRyuumon rolled his eyes. "_I guess this is what it'll take to get him off my back… Maybe it'd be easier to just tell him that Alphamon kicked me out… Alphamon'll probably tell everybody anyways. …No, I don't want to give him the satisfaction,"_ he thought to himself. He looked up at Examon. "I'm listening… Let's hear it."

Examon nodded. "When I first joined the Royal Knights, I almost quit as well," he admitted.

OuRyuumon was genuinely surprised. "You did?" Internally, he thought to himself, "_Why didn't you? Maybe then I could have taken your spot._"

"I probably don't have to tell you that I didn't exactly fit in," Examon told him with a slight grin. "Not only was I the new guy, but, well…" He gestured to his large, draconic body. "Let's just say I faced a lot of opposition."

"From me, you mean," OuRyuumon flatly replied, folding his arms.

"You, Duftmon, Craniamon, UlforceVeedramon…" Examon answered. "I know you each had your different reasons. Anyways, I didn't feel like staying there was worth the aggravation."

"What stopped you?"

"Dukemon," Examon replied. "He made me realize that being part of the Royal Knights was too good to throw away. It really is an honour being part of the Order, being able to impact the world more than I could just being on my own in the United Dramonic Coalition."

OuRyuumon winced a bit. "Great…" he muttered sarcastically.

"What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't throw away something so important. You'll end up regretting it," Examon said.

The gold dragon growled and rubbed the bridge of his draconic snout, his frustration getting the better of him. "You don't get it… I threw it away years ago."

"I don't understand…"

"DarkKnightmon… I pushed him off that tower," OuRyuumon explained ruefully, looking down at his lap.

Examon was silent for a few moments. "…I see…" he replied, reserving his judgment as much as he could.

"He was plotting to overthrow Alphamon, okay?!" OuRyuumon defensively said. "I know that's not a great excuse, but I can't change it now…" He sighed. "Anyways… he told Alphamon. Alphamon and I had a big argument and he told me to leave the Order. I didn't want to leave, so there's no point trying to convince me otherwise."

"…Oh…" Examon said, a bit unsure of what to say now.

The dragon gave a hollow laugh. "Go on. Laugh. Chew me out. Do whatever. You've probably been waiting for a chance like this," OuRyuumon told him, his head still bowed.

"I'm not that petty," Examon replied, frowning at OuRyuumon. "Besides, I'm in no position to say anything… I hurt a friend in the past too. What I did was probably as bad as what you did, if not worse."

"Huh…?" OuRyuumon asked, glancing up.

"You were eliminating a dangerous threat who showed hostile intent. I lost control of my power, hurt my friend, and then skulked off like a coward," Examon admitted with a pained expression.

OuRyuumon observed Examon for a few moments. He then smiled ironically. "It might be hard to believe, but DarkKnightmon was my friend too… in a weird sort of way. We argued a hell of a lot and I felt threatened by him sometimes, but we looked out for each other in battle. Even I think you're being too generous to me, Examon. I mean, I still feel justified in what I did, but I know that what I did wasn't 'right'. I still feel guilty when I think about it. What I did wasn't all that much better from whatever you did."

OuRyuumon paused and thought to himself. "…Why the hell am I telling you all this?" he asked aloud.

"You've been keeping it in for too long, I suppose," Examon replied calmly. "There's something cathartic about telling a secret that you've been holding in for longer than you can remember…"

OuRyuumon's brows furrowed. "But… Why you of all people? We're not exactly friends. We're not even alike!"

Examon shrugged. "We're both dragon Digimon."

"You're from the UDC and I'm from New Terminal," OuRyuumon countered. He sighed and rubbed his face. "I dunno… I feel like I know you better, I guess. I can understand how you feel out of place in the Order."

"Can you?" Examon asked. "You've been Alphamon's best friend since before the Order was formed, haven't you?"

"And that's all I ever amounted to: Alphamon's best friend," OuRyuumon answered with a scowl. "I was never good enough to be one of the Royal Knights. I have the skills, but I don't have the… - I dunno – 'inner fortitude' or some shit. According to Alphamon, I'm too selfish, petty, violent, - oh - and I disgust him." OuRyuumon glimpsed away grimly. "It wasn't just being a dragon Digimon with me. I was never 'one of the Knights'. Sure, I was Captain of the Strike Forces, but I still felt like I was just tagging along. At least you're actually one of 'em. And then there's…" OuRyuumon trailed off. He already said more than he wanted to say. He wasn't about to reveal _that_ too.

"I never knew you felt that way…" Examon said, looking at him sympathetically.

"Why do you think I don't like you?" OuRyuumon challenged. "The first pure dragon Royal Knight _should_ have been _me_."

"I can understand why that angers you, but that's hardly my fault," Examon retorted.

"I know that!" OuRyuumon snapped, leering at him. "But you're still there. …Tch. Doesn't matter now anyways. You'll never have to see me again now," he told the other dragon, standing to his feet and going to collect his belt and scimitars.

Examon frowned and stood up as well. "OuRyuumon… Don't."

OuRyuumon turned around. "You really are dense about everything except combat, aren't you?" he told him. "Alphamon kicked me out. Even if I wanted to, going back there wouldn't change anything."

"Except if Alphamon changed his mind," Examon countered. "He's a rational Digimon. He probably thinks differently now."

"Doubtful. Besides, there's no way I'm crawling back there."

Examon frowned. "Don't let your pride get in the way

"Don't let the door get in your way," OuRyuumon told him, thumbing over to the door to their room.

The crimson dragon knight narrowed his eyes. "Pig-headed… I'm _trying_ to _help_ you here."

"I didn't ask for you to come after me," OuRyuumon told him sharply. "If you joined the Royal Knights to atone for blowing your friend up or something, that's your call, but don't involve me."

Examon suddenly glared at him darkly. He clenched his teeth and balled up his claws, as if trying to keep himself from going for OuRyuumon. "…Fine. Leave. I don't know why I bothered coming. You're probably right about me. I let it blind me from seeing the truth," Examon scathed. "Alphamon was right; you don't deserve to be part of the Order. You've always been a destroyer… That's not something the Royal Knights need."

OuRyuumon suddenly sneered and walked up to him, glaring into Examon's eyes. "And what are you?! You just joined the Order to make yourself feel better!"

"I _joined_ the Order to create a better Digital World, like I did with the UDC," Examon lowly replied, gritting his sharp teeth.

"Hah! You try to act all humble, but you really _are_ arrogant!" OuRyuumon exclaimed, the two glaring at each other. "You've gotta be arrogant to think that you can actually do that on your own! You really think that highly of yourself, don't you?!"

Examon growled. "It's a hell of a lot better than what you do! Fighting for pleasure… It's disgusting! Fighting without a purpose is just sadistic self-indulgence. It's no better than what our enemies do."

"Get down from that ivory tower of yours! You think you're better than everyone else… You probably thought that way ever since you became an Examon in the UDC. It must've felt pretty good to be a big fish in a little pond, huh? Well… what _you're_ trying to forget is that it's in a dragon's _nature_ to fight! Okay, you had a bad experience because you couldn't control your power." OuRyuumon poked his clawed finger against Examon's chest. "Now you're all awkward and repressed because you've been trying to repress those instincts. You have that calm and collected voice and demeanour like ice wouldn't melt, but I can see it in your eyes: you're itching to punch me right now!"

Examon sneered deeper into OuRyuumon's eyes, clenching his fists a little bit tighter. "No…" he replied as calmly as possible. "I want you to leave."

"Liar," OuRyuumon told him.

Examon stifled a snarl. "…I'm not."

OuRyuumon looked at him for a few more seconds. "…Tch," he scoffed, backing off and turning away, walking away from the dragon to collect his bag. "You don't even have the balls to be honest about your feelings…"

"You mean like you were with DarkKnightmon?" Examon challenged.

OuRyuumon snarled and glared at Examon over his shoulder. "It wasn't like…" He paused and shook his head, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Whatever… When you get back, tell Alphamon that I want all of my bits delivered to my place in New Terminal. Later, Exadork. Don't worry; I'll still pay for the room."

With that, OuRyuumon gave an irritable flick of his tail and walked out of the room, heading down to the first level of the inn.

Examon let out a pent up sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, walking over to get his Ambrosius lance from the wall. "Well, I tried…"

* * *

><p>It was the afternoon in Lupolford.<p>

Omegamon remained in the same position he was in since when he had been first tied up. He hadn't slept much during the night. He had only been able to nod off for a few hours at a time before waking with a jerk. Being chained to the ground in a kneeling position wasn't exactly conducive to getting a good night's sleep, especially since he couldn't even lie down.

He had done a lot of thinking since he last spoke to DarkKnightmon. He had thought about all of his alternatives. Omegamon had considered pretending to join DarkKnightmon, but Omegamon knew that DarkKnightmon wasn't so naïve as to trust him completely; there would have been some sort of restraint placed on him to ensure that he wouldn't simply escape or turn on DarkKnightmon as soon as he had been freed. Being on the introverted side, the white knight had little confidence in his acting abilities as well, and he was sure that DarkKnightmon would be able to suss out even a skilled liar. Those factors made him doubt that option.

He also considered stalling for time by asking DarkKnightmon if he could think about it. He hoped that he could give himself enough time to think of other ways to free himself or give the Royal Knights enough time to rescue him. Given the strength of the Chrome Digizoid chains and the fact that the Royal Knights likely didn't have a lead to go off of, he doubted that choice as well.

Finally, he considered calling DarkKnightmon's bluff and flatly refusing to aid him. DarkKnightmon kept speaking of their friendship, and even when DarkKnightmon had attacked them in the castle, he didn't express any interest in killing him or any of the other Royal Knights. Omegamon suspected that DarkKnightmon didn't want to kill them, so there was no real serious consequences to just turning him down. That way, he didn't encourage DarkKnightmon's plans by making him think that there was a chance that he thought it was a good idea.

Omegamon waited. It was all that he could do. Every so often, he made an attempt to fight against the chains, but it always ended the same way.

Finally, he heard a familiar set of footsteps approaching from behind him.

"DarkKnightmon," Omegamon spoke, so accustomed to the weight and the time between each stride that he could tell who it was without looking.

"Omegamon…" DarkKnightmon replied, walking in front of the Royal Knight and turning to face him. "Have you made your decision?"

"I have," Omegamon told him.

"Good… What is it?" DarkKnightmon questioned.

Omegamon paused. He closed his eyes. "I won't help you. I won't ever help you… At least, not when it comes to what you want to do to the Order." He opened his eyes and looked up at DarkKnightmon. "I'm sorry."

DarkKnightmon looked down at him coldly. For awhile, he didn't speak. He just stared at Omegamon with an icy, unreadable expression.

"…I see," he finally spoke. "Then… I'm sorry too."

Omegamon frowned. "What for?" he asked him.

"You leave me with no choice," DarkKnightmon said, suddenly moving.

He walked behind Omegamon and turned to face his back.

Warily, Omegamon looked over his shoulder to see what DarkKnightmon was up to.

DarkKnightmon kneeled down behind Omegamon. He drew a key from inside his armour and put his hand on the chrome digizoid lock that connected the chains to one of the two rungs in the marble floor. DarkKnightmon inserted the key, twisted it a few times in a very precise sequence, and forced the lock to pop open and release the chains from the metal ring. He then turned to Omegamon's other side to do the same thing to the lock in the other ring.

Omegamon watched as the chain came loose from the floor. He gave a tentative strain against the chains still around his caped body, but they were still too secure for him to free himself. He began to wonder if DarkKnightmon was going to do it for him anyways.

Instead, DarkKnightmon grabbed him roughly by the back, clutching the chains as well as Omegamon's cape as he tersely hauled the white knight to his feet. Before Omegamon could begin to try to fight against him, DarkKnightmon pulled Omegamon forcefully, forcing him to walk.

Omegamon winced as his blood suddenly rushed into his numb legs after being still for so long, the circulation to his lower extremities suddenly flowing. His legs buckled with every step, as they were too numb to walk on, but DarkKnightmon forced Omegamon to walk regardless and held him up whenever his legs failed him.

"What are you doing?" Omegamon demanded, still feeling a surge of warmth and prickling needles within his legs.

DarkKnightmon didn't reply. He kept his hand firmly on Omegamon's bonds and pushed him towards the back of the great hall.

The further that they went, the more that Omegamon was able to see. At the end of the great hall, on the raised level at the top of a couple small steps, past the ornate throne, there was something in the floor. It was dark and seemed to move.

On closer inspection, it appeared to be a small fissure in the marble floor, about two meters long and several inches wide. It was black and there were wafts of darkness seeping out of it. Omegamon's eyes widened when he recognized what it was: a dark rift.

"A dark rift…?" Omegamon whispered as they grew closer to it. "But I thought they closed up after you escaped."

DarkKnightmon ignored the question. "You see, Omegamon…" he spoke, his voice cold and stoic. "Even when Digimon don't want to be controlled, there are always ways to control them."

"What?" Omegamon demanded, looking over his shoulder at DarkKnightmon. Before he could say anything else, he felt DarkKnightmon's boot collide with the back of Omegamon's legs, forcing them to buckle and for the knight to fall to his knees in front of the rift. Omegamon looked down and saw the shadows that came from the rift begin to aggregate and reach towards Omegamon. Omegamon's eyes widened. He suddenly remembered what Examon and Craniamon said happened to Tankdramon. "D-DarkKnightmon!" he shouted angrily, suddenly resisting a lot more fervently. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry, Omegamon. You left me with no other choice. You and your blind, foolish loyalty to Alphamon, the stubborn idiot… You can't see past your bonds, even when you know that what I'm saying is right. Now, I have to do this," DarkKnightmon responded. He pushed his hand hard against Omegamon's back, trying to force him down onto the rift. "These are the powers of darkness that grew and thrived deep inside the Dark Area. They are forces of hatred and corruption. They feed on the darkness in the hearts of Digimon and take them over."

Omegamon felt his bound upper body being pushed towards the rift beneath him. Shadowy tendrils reached up from the rift and grabbed at his arms, chest, and waist eagerly. Omegamon snarled and flexed his abdominal muscles as he fought against them desperately, trying to pull himself away and struggle against DarkKnightmon's pushing. "DarkKnightmon…! Don't… do this…!"

"You should have joined me voluntarily," DarkKnightmon said, his yellow eyes flashing. "Omegamon." With those words, he gave a final, violent push, breaking through Omegamon's resistance. He shoved down powerfully, forcing Omegamon's chest down onto the floor, his face and upper body hitting the cracked marble around the rift painfully.

Omegamon immediately tried to push himself back up, but it was too late. The aura of darkness flowing from the rift was already consuming him. The tendrils coiled around his limbs, body and neck, burning at his skin as they corrupted his data. The white knight let out a mighty bellow of pain and anguish as his body was enveloped by darkness.

The dark data flooded through his form, taking over the holy data of his body and consuming his soul and digicore. A final shout sounded from Omegamon's mouth before it was drowned out by the roaring shadows.

DarkKnightmon watched with a stoic expression as the shadows washed over the body of his friend. When the dark aura faded in a wisp of black and violet, there was a new Digimon kneeling in the place where Omegamon had previously been.

The chrome digizoid chains fell around him, broken and shattered. A dark figure stood up, panting with exhaustion. It turned around to face DarkKnightmon.

It was Omegamon, yet it was not Omegamon. His body looked like Omegamon's, but it was drastically different. Instead of his usual white armour, the plate mail he wore was as black as the night. There was no colour in his form; all of the white, blue, and orange had been replaced by a fearsome ebon hue. His body was black from head to toe, with only gold trimming on his chest and spikes. As the chains fell, his cape spread more freely. Instead of white and bright red, the fabric was sable on the outside and blood red on the inside.

The new Omegamon observed DarkKnightmon with a calm, dark stare. "DarkKnightmon…" he spoke. His voice sounded like Omegamon's, but instead of the gentle, sensible, and caring tone of his words, they were now menacing and baleful.

DarkKnightmon cautiously observed him. "…Omegamon."

"Zwart," Omegamon corrected suddenly, his red eyes hardening viciously. He innately knew what his form now was, and it wasn't that of Omegamon of the Royal Knights. "…Omegamon Zwart."

DarkKnightmon nodded. "Omegamon Zwart, then…"

Omegamon Zwart's eyes narrowed.

"Get me my weapons… And tell me what you need me to do…"

* * *

><p>(AN: Another cliffhanger... dun dun dun... I'm not even sorry.)


	29. Chapter 20: The Daydream of a Digicore

(Author's notes: Here it is, off the back end of Tropical Storm Arthur. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 20: The Daydream of a Digicore**

Dukemon leaned on the railing of one of the castle balconies, gazing off into the distance. He watched as the sun rose in the morning, sending light across the grey sky. The crisp refreshing breeze blew across his scales, sweeping his long, white hair behind him gently.

Beside him sat Grani, who watched the sunrise with Dukemon before he went to begin his scouting duties. Ever since Omegamon had been captured, Grani and his scouts had been working extremely hard to try to locate either the Royal Knight or his captors.

The two stood in silence, completely at ease in the other's presence as they watched the day begin.

They initially didn't notice a third Digimon walk out onto the balcony. Grani heard some shifting and glanced behind him to see Alphamon walking over.

"Alphamon?" he asked. "Have you come to join us in watching the sunrise?"

"If you don't mind," Alphamon responded, walking over to Dukemon's side.

Dukemon arched a brow and looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure you should be up, Alphamon?" he asked him. He offered a playful grin. "I don't need to get Duskmon up here, do I?"

Alphamon responded with a small, faint smile as he leaned forwards on the railing. "No, I'm feeling better today, thank you," he told him.

Grani glanced between the two Digimon. His large body then moved when he stood up straight on the railing. "I think I'll get started on my scouting duties. There's a lot to do. Much to organize."

"Alright," Alphamon replied, glancing over at the sizeable Zero ARMS.

"Huh? Oh, sure," Dukemon said, looking at his friend as well. "Good luck, Grani."

Grani would have nodded, but his head didn't allow for a lot of movement, so he responded with a 'thank you'. The two Royal Knights watched as the red dragon-bird took off from the balcony and swooped down towards the ground before veering left and disappearing around the side of the building.

When he was gone, Dukemon went back to staring off into the distance.

Alphamon looked over at the crimson knight. "Are you thinking about Omegamon?" he asked him.

"Yeah…" Dukemon admitted. "What do you think DarkKnightmon wants with him?"

"Probably not for information. If he wanted to use him as bait to lure us into a trap, we would have gotten at least a clue to Omegamon's whereabouts by now," Alphamon figured. "I think he wants to hurt me. That's why he revealed what he did about OuRyuumon when he did."

"But he doesn't know that you and OuRyuumon were together, does he?" Dukemon asked.

Alphamon sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. It was still strange for him to hear somebody else talking about him and OuRyuumon in that way. "No… I highly doubt it. I didn't even know that OuRyuumon was gay back when DarkKnightmon was around."

"Ah… Well, you're not going to let him get to you, right?" Dukemon questioned, looking over at him.

Alphamon smiled a bit. "No… I have been for the past week, but… not anymore. I'm the Lord of the Empty Seat."

Dukemon smiled as well. "And you've got your Royal Knights around you to support you, remember."

"I know…" Alphamon replied, locking eyes with Dukemon. He stalled for a few moments. "Dukemon… Are you sure you're fine with me being… the way I am? 'Bisexual', if you want to call it something."

Dukemon turned to look at him. "Again, yeah… I'll be honest, though, it came as a massive shock and I was a little annoyed that you only just told me yesterday, but… I can understand why. It really doesn't change anything about you in my eyes. You're still you, even if you like guys as well as girls, just like I'm still me, even if I have the Digital Hazard, right?"

Alphamon smiled at him gratefully. "Right… Thank you."

"Anyways… Have you changed your mind about OuRyuumon, by any chance?"

A frown grew on Alphamon's face as he considered Dukemon's question. "…I don't know. I'm not going to say I won't change my mind, but… I think it's better if he and I are apart for awhile. Maybe I'll feel differently after some time... Besides, I can't think about him right now. We need to focus on rescuing Omegamon."

"Well, okay…" Dukemon said uncertainly. He grinned slightly. "From a strategic standpoint, it'd be good if you could still go Ouryuken with him."

"I think a lot of mending is needed until we're able to do that again…" Alphamon answered somberly.

Dukemon looked at Alphamon with a concerned expression. "The argument was that bad, huh…?"

"We both said some things that struck deep," Alphamon explained, wincing a bit.

"Oh…" Dukemon put his hand on Alphamon's shoulder and rubbed. "I'm sure you'll both feel differently when you see each other again."

"We'll see…" the black knight answered, looking towards the sunrise. He turned around and faced the entrance from the balcony into the main building. "Anyways, I have to get started."

"So soon?" Dukemon asked, withdrawing his hand. "Have you even showered yet?"

"I need to send communiqués to the states of the Free Area, asking them for possible information on Omegamon, DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon, or Dorbickmon. Chances are that somebody has seen _something_. We should also start printing 'wanted' posters offering a reward for useful information about DarkKnightmon."

"Want me to ask Dynasmon to call the Warrior Ten and ask AtlurKabuterimon to draw up the portraits?" Dukemon asked.

"If you can drag him out of bed," Alphamon replied with a small smile, nodding at Dukemon and heading inside.

Dukemon looked over his shoulder. "By the way… Don't worry about OuRyuumon either. Despite the way he acts sometimes, he can take care of himself."

Alphamon stopped and nodded. "One other thing… Have you seen Examon? Nobody's seen him since yesterday and his bed doesn't look like it's been slept in. He and Sleipmon are supposed to have military command lessons later this morning."

"Can't say I have… Maybe he got up early to train or do something else productive," Dukemon replied.

"I'll look around," Alphamon said. "I'm going to call a meeting at around noon about what to do about Omegamon and what happened with OuRyuumon."

"I'm guessing you won't be telling them the whole story," Dukemon supposed, looking over at Alphamon.

"Not now…" he replied. He paused. "But eventually. I've seen what happens when a secret is discovered rather than admitted. Now's just… not the right time for that."

"I understand," Dukemon told him. "Don't worry. I'll back you up."

Alphamon nodded. "Thank you... For being so supportive," he said sincerely.

Dukemon grinned and nodded.

"I'll see you in a few hours, then," Alphamon told him, turning towards the door and disappearing inside the castle.

* * *

><p>MirageGaogamon walked down a stone corridor on the second level of the town hall, where his new residence was.<p>

He had a rough sleep. He still wasn't used to the unusually comfortable bed after sleeping in a prison cot for years, and he had a bad dream that he couldn't shake. He didn't have anything to do that afternoon, as DarkKnightmon was busy here and Dorbickmon went off somewhere, so he had decided to have a nap, but that was cut short by what sounded like a yell of pain. MirageGaogamon assumed it had been another dream, so he ignored it.

He made his way down to the great hall to see if DarkKnightmon was still watching Omegamon. As soon as he passed through the door to the back end of the great hall, he stopped. The spot where Omegamon was bound was empty and the Royal Knight was gone. He began to dash in, but noticed something out of the corners of his eyes as soon as he did. MirageGaogamon swerved to his right and saw Omegamon's form standing nearby. However, he noticed that Omegamon's armoured body was now coated black and he had somehow regained his weapons. MirageGaogamon tensed up. He must have evolved or mode changed to break free.

MirageGaogamon acted. His body became an azure blur as he darted across the floor, poising his claw gauntlets.

Omegamon Zwart whirled around just as MirageGaogamon closed in on him, his weapons raised.

MirageGaogamon pressed his claws against Omegamon's neck, but his eyes widened upon feeling and seeing the black knight's Grey Sword against his neck as well. He looked into Omegamon Zwart's cold, fearsome, red eyes and felt a chill down his spine at how different they seemed compared to Omegamon's usual look.

"MirageGaogamon! Omegamon Zwart! Lower your weapons," DarkKnightmon told them, striding over to the two.

"W-What?" MirageGaogamon asked in a voice that required an answer.

Omegamon Zwart's eyes narrowed at MirageGaogamon, but he withdrew his blade. He then swatted MirageGaogamon's clawed hand aside with the muzzle of his Garuru Cannon.

"You two are on the same side," DarkKnightmon explained. He looked at MirageGaogamon. "Omegamon – or 'Omegamon Zwart', now – is with us."

"But… But how?" MirageGaogamon asked, taking a step back. "He was so obstinate before."

"I had a bit of help," DarkKnightmon said, turning and looking over at the dark rift indicatively. "That crack between our plane of the Digital World and the Dark Area, while not enough for hard mass to pass through, is leaking dark data. However, within some of that data are secretions of a substance called Black Digitron. It's incredibly rare in the Digital World, but it's easier to find in the Dark Area. Within it is an agent that allows for the creation of dark subspecies of certain Digimon. That, along with the dark data, has allowed me to turn Omegamon into the loyal follower of our cause that you see before you: Omegamon Zwart."

Omegamon Zwart observed MirageGaogamon carefully. "MirageGaogamon. Former Captain of the Royal Knights' Defence Forces."

MirageGaogamon looked at DarkKnightmon. "He retains his memories?" he asked. "Then how can we trust him?"

"The dark data brings out the darkness in Digimons' hearts as well as physically corrupts their digicores. He still has Omegamon's loyalty from before, but he's expressed his scorn for the Royal Knights to me. That loyalty is now mine," DarkKnightmon explained, turning to Omegamon Zwart and nodding.

"But how can we be sure that—"

The sounds of the front doors creaking open interrupted him, and the three turned towards the noise, always somewhat wary that it was somebody other than Dorbickmon or the mayor, who was reluctantly complying with Dorbickmon out of fear. This worry was somewhat eased by the fact that only those two had the keys to the town hall.

After locking the front doors behind him, Dorbickmon strode into the great hall and looked up to see Omegamon Zwart standing with DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon, with his Garuru Cannon trained on him.

"Woah, what the-" Dorbickmon's eyes widened and he suddenly became defensive, sneering. "What the hell's going on here?!"

"Oh. It's you," Omegamon Zwart spoke, lowering his cannon.

"Dorbickmon, meet our new ally," DarkKnightmon said, motioning to Omegamon. "Omegamon Zwart."

"Omegamon Zwart…" Dorbickmon said, arching an eyebrow. He walked over to them and looked the pitch black knight up and down. "What'd you do? Use that rift I couldn't close?"

"Yes, that's right," DarkKnightmon answered. "Astute guess."

MirageGaogamon grunted quietly and folded his arms. "Where did you sneak off to, Dorbickmon?" he asked him suspiciously.

"I had some business to attend to," Dorbickmon cryptically replied, eyeing MirageGaogamon with a contentious grin.

"What, exactly?" MirageGaogamon pressed, narrowing his eyes.

Dorbickmon chuckled and sighed, folding his arms. "Okay, fine… I went to see one of my mercenary pals. I told some of them to keep an eye out the Royal Knights and other members of the Order. He contacted me around noon with some information." He looked at DarkKnightmon with a dark grin. "You might find this interesting. He saw an old friend of yours flying north towards the Free Area's border, all by himself."

DarkKnightmon looked at Dorbickmon pensively. "Who?"

"OuRyuumon," Dorbickmon informed him.

A dark shadow seemed to fall over DarkKnightmon's face as he looked down in thought. The knight turned to Omegamon Zwart, who was glaring intensely at the name.

DarkKnightmon nodded and closed his eyes. "…That's good to know."

Dorbickmon grinned as he thought to himself. "_And there's something else I found too_…"

* * *

><p>OuRyuumon soared through the warmth and humidity of the late afternoon. It was one of those uncomfortably warm days that either preceded or followed a rainstorm. The humidity made his armour cling to his scales and his hands sweat inside the violet, leather, fingerless gloves that he wore. He hated the feeling. It made the flight even more irritating than it was already.<p>

He flew over the grasslands and the multitude of trees that stood across the landscape, whose blue and red leaves rustled in the soft breeze. The sun was beginning to slowly descend towards the horizon, off to his left. Its rays still shone into his eyes and sparkled off the scimitars dangling from his belt. That annoyed him as well, even if he usually liked sunny days. It was like everything grated on his nerves since DarkKnightmon revealed what he did. Things had just kept getting worse for him from that point on.

He didn't believe in Yggdrasil. Or Fanglongmon, for that matter. Or God, unlike many of the Angel Digimon who followed that smaller, less known offshoot of the Yggdrasil faith. However, he couldn't help but feel like he was being punished. OuRyuumon always knew that it was too good to be true, that he had gotten away with what he tried to do. Now, he had lost everything.

OuRyuumon wondered what he would do when he got back to New Terminal. What lie he would tell his parents about why he wasn't part of the Order anymore, and what about Alphamon. Some lie, he guessed. He was already used to lying to them about himself. However, he was beginning to realize that some lies don't last forever.

He wondered if he should even bother going back to New Terminal; he didn't know what he would do there for a living. He supposed he could work for his father at his smithy, but he never really had that much interest in that. He considered not returning and going off to join a mercenary company or guild. That was where his skills lay, and that way he could keep fighting. However, he doubted that option too; he couldn't bear potentially going up against Alphamon and the Royal Knights one day. The shame and guilt would be too much.

The gold dragon sighed and he grimly looked over his shoulder, checking the landscape behind him. "There's no going back now…" he muttered to himself. "Almost out of this damn Free Area…"

He suddenly stopped as he neared the rushing river that acted as the border separating that Free Area province with the end of the Free Area's territory. His eyes narrowed defiantly and he suddenly closed his fists tightly. "No…" he hissed out of his draconic mouth. "I'm not about to give up and slink away in the night like I'm the bad guy. It was DarkKnightmon who put his poisonous words into Alphamon's ear. He was _trying_ to do this to us and I'm not about to let him get away with it! If I can find him and take him down, then Alphamon will have to realize that I'm worth keeping around! I'll show— Huh?"

OuRyuumon stopped the motivational speech, filled with new found resolve, when he heard a noise behind him. His heart sank when he saw a bright blue energy orb rushing towards him at incredible speeds.

His hands instinctively went for the Gairyu swords in his belt. He was fast enough to close his claws around their hilts, but he didn't have enough time to draw them to defend himself or even dodge the sudden attack. Just as he began to pull them out, the blast detonated against his body, throwing him out of the sky violently. OuRyuumon let out a cry of pain as his body was concussed with frigid power and he fell to the ground like a falling brick. He hit the ground, his wings and back colliding with the grass first before the rest of him followed.

OuRyuumon grimaced with pain and lay there for a few seconds, growling between winded coughs. Although dazed, he tried his best to look around, trying to locate his attacker. His eyes narrowed when he located something: there was a black figure standing out against the sky. That was all he could make out before another blast, fired from the figure's arm, obstructed his view of the Digimon. The attack soared towards OuRyuumon's downed form.

Not about to take this lying down, OuRyuumon jumped to his feet and drew the Gairyu swords, twirling the scimitars in front of him for a moment before flapping his wings and darting to the side just as the attack closed in. The beam hit the ground with a large explosion and shards of ice pelted OuRyuumon's armour and scales as he flew away from the blast.

"You picked the wrong guy on the wrong day, bastard!" OuRyuumon shouted angrily, circling around and looking over to where the Digimon was. It was then that he noticed that the Digimon had moved already. He looked around fervently, searching and listening. He couldn't see it anywhere.

It was then that he noticed the sound of fluttering of cloth coming from above him. OuRyuumon looked up and gripped his swords tightly; the black figure was descending on him. OuRyuumon immediately dove downwards into frontal loop to put distance between himself and the Digimon so that he could counterattack. As soon as he reached the lowest point of the dive, where he began to circle back up again, OuRyuumon heard a deep voice harmonize with the sound of something being fired.

"Garuru Cannon!"

"_Garuru Cannon_?" OuRyuumon couldn't help but think to himself.

However, that thought quickly vanished when he saw the attack descending on him. OuRyuumon sneered briefly and crossed his long, jagged swords in front of him as his body began to glow gold. "Ouga- AH!"

The attack was too fast. The ball of compressed power broke through his defence and exploded against his chest. Apart from the pain, a sense of dread flooded through OuRyuumon when he felt the Gairyu Sadaijin fly away from his left hand as his body was concussed by the blast. He slammed into the ground violently, his long body arching in pain as he collided with the grass.

Not two seconds after hitting the ground was OuRyuumon already trying to move, but to his amazement, another attack was already falling upon him, followed by another and another.

The blasts pounded OuRyuumon's body mercilessly. His long, serpentine form was hammered and lambasted by the explosions, and forced further into the deepening crater around him. All he could feel was a cold, high-pressure, painful sensation all over his body as the attacks continued. He wasn't allowed a single moment of respite. The dragon grimaced when he felt himself lose his grip on the Gairyu Udaijin, which was torn away from his hand and blasted out of his reach.

After two more painful blasts, the bombardment finally stopped. OuRyuumon lay in the bottom of the crater, his body steaming and ice coating his form in some places. His whole body was wracked with pain and his movements were slow and sluggish as he tried to do _something_ in defiance. He looked up and into the sky and saw a caped, sable knight descending on him.

As the armoured warrior landed on top of OuRyuumon, the dragon instinctively reached for one of his scimitars, which lay a meter away. The knight slammed his heel down on OuRyuumon's wrist and wound his right arm back.

OuRyuumon gritted his teeth and looked up at his attacker. He looked into the Digimon's sharp, crimson eyes and black, helmeted face. He recognized him. "Omega… mon…?"

Omegamon Zwart threw his arm forwards and slammed the heavy muzzle of the Garuru Cannon into OuRyuumon's face.

OuRyuumon saw a painful flash of red before darkness overtook him.

* * *

><p>Examon lugged the Ambrosius over his spiked shoulders as he flew through the heavy, humid air. He could see that the storm clouds in the distance were creeping closer. It looked like it was going to rain in the evening – possibly all through the night.<p>

He headed back towards the Royal Knights' territory after his unsuccessful, self-appointed mission to bring OuRyuumon back. He supposed he could have handled it better and not gotten so defensive and contentious during their argument, but he wasn't sure that it would have made any difference. Examon wondered if he should be truthful about his absence when he returned back to the headquarters; he didn't want Alphamon getting angry at him for insubordination after Alphamon had made the decision to throw OuRyuumon out of the Order. Then again, Examon wasn't sure if lying would be much better, especially since he wasn't very good at it. It wasn't like Examon knew OuRyuumon had been thrown out until he talked to the dragon himself.

His Caledfwlch wings floated on the warm air currents and he sailed through the air at a moderate speed.

He often wondered about the United Dramonic Coalition and how it was doing. He was sure that they would have heard something if there had been any trouble, but he still couldn't help but think about it. It had been a big change, going from living there and being its protector to only going there every so often as a Royal Knight. However, he was still glad that he made the decision to join the Royal Knights. It was extremely gratifying, and he even felt like he made a few friends here. That wasn't something that he could say about protecting the UDC.

The broad, armoured wings flapped in front of Examon, stopping his flight when he noticed something in the distance. Far up ahead, lying in the grass, was a Digimon. The Digimon turned to see Examon and called out to him, hailing with a wave of his arm.

Examon frowned and drew closer, descending down towards the Digimon. The Digimon was a red dragon Digimon like himself, more draconic than humanoid, it seemed.

"Hey!" the Digimon called out.

Examon flew down and landed in the grass. "Hello?" he asked, the Digimon, unaware that the species was a Dorbickmon.

"You're one of the Royal Knights, right?" Dorbickmon asked, bent forwards and clutching his leg with a grimace on his face.

"Yes, I'm Examon," Examon replied, looking him over with a frown.

There was a slight, fleeting change in Dorbickmon's expression. "Thank the Sovereigns!" Dorbickmon explained with a breath of relief. "I sprained my ankle and I can't walk very well. Can you give me a helping claw?"

Examon nodded. "Of course," he told him, sticking the Ambrosius into the ground so that he could go and help the wounded Digimon up. He bent down and took Dorbickmon's hand in his, their claws locking firmly. With a grunt of effort, he heaved the large, bulky dragon to his feet and slung his arm over his back and neck to help Dorbickmon stand. "This okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Dorbickmon asked, balancing on one leg while turning and looking at Examon with an expressionless face. "You're a real lifesaver…"

"I'm just doing what a Royal Knight should do," Examon assured him.

Dorbickmon released a soft but sharp exhale from his nostrils. "Really."

"How did you hurt your leg?" Examon asked, readjusting Dorbickmon's arm slightly for comfort.

"I was climbing a tree for some fruit but one of the damn branches broke. I landed on my feet but I must have landed weird, so I twisted my ankle," Dorbickmon explained.

Examon nodded. He looked over at Dorbickmon. "Where should I take you? Where are you from?" he questioned.

There was a glint in Dorbickmon's yellow and violet eyes. "I'm from the UDC actually…" he admitted to Examon. He looked at the draconic Royal Knight to see his reaction. "Wyrm's Edge."

Examon looked at Dorbickmon with surprise. "R-Really…" he spoke, trying to maintain his composition. He gave a miniscule wince and looked away. "I am too, actually…"

"Fancy that…" Dorbickmon murmured, not taking his eyes off of Examon. "'Course… I don't live there now. Too many bad memories…"

Violet flames began to grow within the palm of Dorbickmon's hand - the one that rested at his side, away from Examon.

"…I see…" Examon spoke, still wincing somewhat. That was something that they had in common.

"You see… my best friend tried to kill me as a teenager," Dorbickmon told him.

Examon's whole body tightened and his heart felt like it skipped several beats. He slowly turned his head towards Dorbickmon, his eyes wide. He stared into Dorbickmon's eyes, which leered into his green ones with a kind of compressed excitement. Dorbickmon's eyes narrowed, his purple irises fixing on Examon's pupils, the yellow hue surrounding them making the violet colour stand out. That look… the way he looked at him… it felt familiar to Examon.

"Strike… dramon…?" he whispered. His calm, composed voice was gone. Instead, it was that of absolute shock and horror at the prospect of facing him.

Dorbickmon's eyes hardened passionately. He pulled his arm away roughly and stood on his own two feet, revealing that he had been feigning injury. He gritted his teeth and glared darkly into Examon's eyes. "Coredramon…" Dorbickmon wound his arm back. "You fucking HYPOCRITE!" he roared. He threw his clawed fist forwards, flames streaming out from within his closed palm, hard into the end of Examon's snout.

Examon let out a shout of pain and surprise as the blow sent him crashing onto his winged back. He felt the tips of his horns dig into the grass slightly, along with a numb, throbbing pain in his snout. A metallic taste made his tongue curdle as blood oozed from where his jagged teeth dug into the inside of his lips.

He winced and sat up, rubbing his snout and spitting out some bloody saliva from his swelling lip. "Strikedramon…" he said, looking up at him with a guilty grimace.

"It's 'Dorbickmon' now, '_Examon_'," Dorbickmon hissed, clenching his large hands tightly. "I bet you thought you finished me off for good, didn't you?!"

"You don't understand!" Examon pleaded, standing to his feet. "I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"Oh, sure," Dorbickmon scoffed, a bit of fire leaking from his maw as he spoke. "Just like you didn't mean to leave me for dead and run off before you could be arrested, right?"

Examon looked down at the ground with tightened, guilt-filled eyes. "That was…" he spoke lowly. "A huge mistake…"

"I'll bet it was," Dorbickmon snarled, breaths of fire drifting from his maw with every word. "You're wishing you finished the job right then and there! Well, here's your chance, you traitorous bastard. Kill me, if you can! Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"

Examon's eyes widened as the flames flew towards him. Despite his surprise, Examon's wings acted on their own and cloaked in front of his body to act as a chrome digizoid shield. The flames heated the metal intensely but harmlessly washed along their metal coating, unable to get through to Examon's scales.

The Caledfwlch wings swept out strongly and blasted the fire away with a powerful gust of wind, turning the inferno into embers which were quickly snuffed out. "Strikedramon! What are you doing?! Let's talk about this!"

"It's 'Dorbickmon', damnit!" he growled, flames still swathing from his mouth.

"Dorbickmon…" Examon muttered, thinking that the name sounded familiar. His eyes widened with realization. Alphamon mentioned that a Dorbickmon attacked him and Omegamon. "You're the one helping DarkKnightmon?!"

"I'm the one who _freed_ him!" Dorbickmon explained. He held his hands in front of him and summoned the Tyrant Collbrande in a tempestuous burst of fire. Dorbickmon gripped the flaming sword tightly in his claws and took on a combat stance, sneering at Examon.

"But why?!" Examon demanded.

"To get to you!" Dorbickmon spat. He scowled at him darkly. "You were my best friend. You turned on me… Tried to kill me… That changes the way that a young, carefree Digimon looks at the world."

"I'm sorry about that, Dorbickmon," Examon told him animatedly, clenching his claws tightly. "Believe me!"

"Hollow words," Dorbickmon snarled. "What did I get from what you did? I nearly got reformatted if it weren't for the town physician. I got scars, burns, and the way I look at the world changed forever. What did you get? You got rewarded. You became a Royal Knight; one of the heroes of the Digital World. You make me sick."

Examon grimaced. "Let me explain… You don't have to forgive me, but at least hear—"

"You've had fifteen years to explain!" Dorbickmon shouted, slashing the Tyrant Collbrande outwards, a few embers flying off with the angry swipe. "What I want now is _action_!"

Before Examon could respond, two jets of fire streamed from Dorbickmon's chest towards him. Examon gritted his teeth and acted on instinct. He swerved to the side, angling one of his wings in front of his body to shield against the attack. He let out a grunt of pain as the streams of flames exploded on contact with his wings, creating a fulgurating blast that buffeted his wing painfully.

"Dorbickmon!" Examon shouted out over the roars of the flames.

"Let's see if you've got the skills of a Royal Knight!" Dorbickmon exclaimed, charging at Examon. He lunged into the air and swiped the flaming sword downwards powerfully.

Examon moved his wing and saw Dorbickmon descending on him with the Tyrant Collbrande. He dashed out of the way and made a dive for the Ambrosius lance, sticking in the ground several meters away. His claws clasped the hilt of the lance and pulled it from the ground just as Dorbickmon landed nearby with a mighty crash that sent heat flying out and dirt shooting up from around him.

Examon spun around and held the Ambrosius defensively. He narrowed his eyes at Dorbickmon as the aggressive dragon turned to glare at him. "I don't want to fight you, Dorbickmon," he told him. "I know how angry you must be, and you have every right to be, but—"

"Damn right, I do," Dorbickmon grunted, dragging his sword out of the ground with a cascade of grass and dirt. "You're a Royal Knight, right? Isn't it your duty to fight me since I helped capture one of your comrades?"

Examon grimaced at his words. He decided not to answer, as he was torn about what to do. "Omegamon… How is he?" he asked him.

"He's okay… He's got a new look," Dorbickmon said with an enigmatic smirk. The grin disappeared. "Now stop dragging your feet. You've never had a problem fighting me before."

Examon frowned. "If that's the only way I can get you to listen to me…"

"Good…" Dorbickmon adjusted his burning blade in his claws. "Don't hold back; I'm sure not going to."

* * *

><p>A draconic growl escaped OuRyuumon's throat as he began to slip out of the holds of unconsciousness. The growl turned into a groan as he felt a throbbing pain in his face, back, and body. His hearing was slightly muffled, but he was sure that he heard the voices of Digimon talking nearby.<p>

OuRyuumon gritted his teeth, tasting the sharp bitterness of blood on his tongue as he began to open his eyes. Through the blur of his eyes, he could see two dark figures and one blue one standing in front of him. He was indoors and the room seemed pretty dark, from what he could tell.

The next thing he noticed was the tight strain he felt in his shoulders and wrists. It became apparent to him that he wasn't lying down, but barely standing. His feet dragged against the ground and he was held up by something around his wrists. OuRyuumon grimaced and slowly pressed the soles of his clawed feet against the cold, stone floor, standing on his own to reduce the strain on his arms.

"The hell…?" he muttered to himself, still a bit groggy. OuRyuumon tried to move his arms, but he found that he was unable. Wincing, the gold dragon Digimon looked up to see what the problem was. To his shock, he saw that his arms were suspended above his head. His wrists were crossed over the other and bound tightly by chains, which lead up to the ceiling of the room. "What the fu-…?! Hey! What the hell is this?!"

The next thing that he noticed was that he couldn't move his wings along with his arms. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the chains around his wrists led down and bound his wings together, preventing him from using the Gaiba Daimeijin for flight. OuRyuumon tried to spread his bladed wings out to cut against the bonds, but saw that they held firm. He began to realize that his Gairyu swords were missing, as was the blade that usually sat on the tip of his tail. The dragon snarled, struggling to wrench his hands free. He turned and glared at the three Digimon in front of him, who turned towards him now that he was awake.

In front of him was DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon, and…

OuRyuumon squinted his eyes to get a good look at the third Digimon. It was the one who had attacked him. He wore black armour but he looked exactly like Omegamon. "What…?" he whispered to himself.

"So, you're awake…" DarkKnightmon observed, folding his arms.

"DarkKnightmon…" OuRyuumon hissed, a fire in his violet eyes as he glared at him balefully. "You… bastard…"

DarkKnightmon grunted. "You don't change, do you?"

"Neither do you… You're still a treacherous little eel," OuRyuumon said to him. "Release me right now so we can settle this once and for all! Or are you scared?"

DarkKnightmon looked at his prisoner calmly. "There's a fine line between courage and stupidity. You're the living proof of that," he dryly responded. "I think I'll leave you the way you are, if you don't mind."

OuRyuumon narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze to MirageGaogamon. "So… You're free," he said, making the disdain in his voice clear. "Ex-Captain."

MirageGaogamon returned the stare. "Quite the reversal, isn't it? …Ex-Captain," he made sure to add.

"Don't know what you're talking about," OuRyuumon defiantly said, sneering. He turned and looked at the Digimon who looked like Omegamon. "And what the hell is this? Some bad Omegamon impersonator?"

"I was Omegamon," the black armoured Digimon explained in a cold voice. "I am now Omegamon Zwart."

OuRyuumon narrowed his eyes at his words. "…You expect me to believe that?"

"You'd believe me if I revealed your and Alphamon's secret," Omegamon Zwart threatened.

OuRyuumon's eyes widened. There was only one secret that that could be. He didn't want to believe it, but now he was sure; that Digimon was Omegamon. OuRyuumon felt a pressure in his chest. What had happened to him? Had Omegamon betrayed them? Had he been brainwashed? Was there some sort of strange Digimon's spell over him?

"Omegamon…? What… What the hell happened to you?!" he demanded, looking between Omegamon Zwart and DarkKnightmon. "What did you do to him, you bastard?!"

"That's none of your concern," DarkKnightmon countered. "Moreover, I don't have to explain myself to prisoners."

OuRyuumon struggled hard against his metal restraints and snarled, glaring at DarkKnightmon. "Whatever you did to him, let him go!" he told him. "And let me go too, you damn coward!"

Omegamon Zwart narrowed his eyes and raised his arm swiftly, pointing the Garuru Cannon at OuRyuumon's face, showing him the flickers of blue energy igniting within the muzzle. "Watch your mouth for once, OuRyuumon. Or I'll see to it that you're unable to speak," he warned him.

OuRyuumon gritted his teeth and sneered, his eye brows furrowed furiously. "Omegamon… Damn it…"

"It's alright," DarkKnightmon said to them. "I can handle him alone from here."

"Are you sure, Sir?" MirageGaogamon asked, looking at OuRyuumon suspiciously. "You know how volatile he is."

"He's restrained, so all I have to concern myself with is his big mouth," DarkKnightmon explained. "I've handled it before and I can handle it now. I'd just like some privacy, please."

"Of course…" MirageGaogamon said, nodding, although somewhat apprehensively. He turned and headed for the door to the room.

"Very well…" Omegamon Zwart replied, lowering his cannon and giving OuRyuumon a final glare before following.

As soon as DarkKnightmon's two allies were out of the room, DarkKnightmon went over and closed the door.

As he did this, OuRyuumon glared defiantly at him. He covered most of his worry about being a prisoner up with anger towards DarkKnightmon. "What the hell did you do to Omegamon? Tell me!" he demanded.

DarkKnightmon made sure that the door was completely shut and then turned around. He walked back to the restrained serpent dragon in the middle of the room. "You have always thought that you were owed things that you didn't deserve, haven't you?" DarkKnightmon asked him in response.

"What?" OuRyuumon questioned, confused and annoyed.

"An answer to your question," DarkKnightmon explained. "A place in the Royal Knights… Special treatment because you and Alphamon were childhood friends."

The gold dragon sneered deeply. "I never asked for something that I thought I didn't deserve!" he countered. "Unlike you, who stabbed us in the back because you couldn't have your own way with the Free Area!"

"Leave it to you to bring everybody else down to your own, petty level," DarkKnightmon replied, narrowing his gold eyes. "To this day, I have no idea how Alphamon stuck by you for so long…"

OuRyuumon couldn't help but grimace and look away, the cheek of his snout pressing against one of his biceps as he did. He clenched his bound hands with anger and emotion.

DarkKnightmon grinned behind his helmet, picking up on his body language. "Or maybe he finally showed you the exit… Was it because I told him the truth about what happened? Is that why you were flying north when Omegamon Zwart went after you? Because Alphamon kicked you out of the Order?"

"Fuck you," OuRyuumon muttered, refusing to look him in the eyes and give him the satisfaction.

Despite this, DarkKnightmon was satisfied. "Your mouth has always been bigger than your brain, hasn't it?"

"And your mouth has always been bigger than your dick," OuRyuumon fired back.

DarkKnightmon calmly observed him. "If I were an insecure teenager, I might just have found that offensive."

OuRyuumon rolled his eyes. "What the hell are you going to do anyways?" he asked angrily. "If I have been kicked out of the Order, I'm no good as bait. Or maybe you're planning to do to me what you did to Omegamon."

"I would, but your heart is already dark. Anybody with half a brain can see that," DarkKnightmon insulted him, eliciting a glare from OuRyuumon. "I doubt you'd have listened to me anyways."

"You're damn right I wouldn't! You're the evil one here!" OuRyuumon fired back.

"And yet it was harder for Alphamon to dismiss me from the Order than it was for him to dismiss you," DarkKnightmon responded.

OuRyuumon couldn't help but wince. "You don't know that."

"No, but you do," DarkKnightmon said to him with a small smirk.

The gold dragon growled and sneered at him deeply. "Enough of your talk," he snarled. "What the hell do you want with me?"

DarkKnightmon levelled his yellow eyes with OuRyuumon's narrow glare and toothy sneer. "I'm not a petty Digimon, OuRyuumon…" he explained to him. He raised his hand and pressed his finger against a large cut above OuRyuumon's left eye, from which dried blood caked down his face. This caused OuRyuumon to wince and hiss as pain shot through his forehead. "But, for you, I'll make an exception."

"I'll make it easy for you, then," OuRyuumon told him. He leaned his head back and then spat onto DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon remained expressionless as his face and chest were sprayed by blood and saliva. He raised his hand and slowly wiped some of the mixture from off of his face. His eyes suddenly narrowed and he swept his arm outwards, backhanding OuRyuumon across his face, causing his head to jerk into his raised arm.

OuRyuumon winced at the numb pain in his cheek but defiantly turned his gaze back to DarkKnightmon. "You hit like a little girl."

DarkKnightmon grabbed OuRyuumon's head by his violet hair and forced the dragon to look at him directly. "I'm not beating you because you're goading me into it, lizard; I'm beating you because this is long overdue payback. Rather, this is what you deserve - a rash, petulant, bloodthirsty Digimon like yourself…"

"You hypocrite…" OuRyuumon snarled. "You're always acting like you're so morally superior to everybody else. At least admit to yourself that you're doing this because you hate me, not because you're trying to do something good for the universe." He clenched his claws and pulled down hard on the chains leading to the ceiling, hoping he might be able to pull himself free. "In fact… admit that you don't actually care about stopping crime and brigandage or creating a peaceful world; you just want to control everybody for your own damn ego!"

At that, DarkKnightmon's eyes narrowed sharply into an angry glare. He reeled his arm back and then drove his fist into OuRyuumon's chest, hard enough to make the serpent's back arch. OuRyuumon's eyes widened and he let out a pained gasp as all the air in his lungs, along with a few drops of saliva, shot out of his mouth from the painful blow. He couldn't help but double over as much as the chains binding his wrists would allow, nearly collapsing onto DarkKnightmon's fist.

"You're right; that _was_ cathartic," DarkKnightmon responded, slowly withdrawing his hand from where he drilled his fist into OuRyuumon's chest scales. "That's where your solar plexus is located, isn't it?"

OuRyuumon couldn't respond. He sagged forwards a bit, coughing violently and gasping for breath as much as he could. OuRyuumon whipped his tail around and tried to strike DarkKnightmon with it.

DarkKnightmon caught his tail and twisted it painfully, eliciting a garbled sound of pain from the winded dragon Digimon. "I knew we should have restrained this somehow," DarkKnightmon said, leering at the tail in his hand before moving forwards to deliver a painful uppercut to OuRyuumon's chin.

The dragon's head jolted up at the strong collision. Wincing with pain, OuRyuumon began to catch his breath again. However, he soon felt DarkKnightmon's fist drive into a lower part of his body, tearing a sharp grunt of anguish from his throat. Although grimacing with agony, OuRyuumon tried to continue standing on his feet.

"Didn't… f-feel… a thing…" OuRyuumon spat, glaring at DarkKnightmon and trying to wrench his tail free from DarkKnightmon's other hand.

"Then I'm not trying hard enough," DarkKnightmon replied. He narrowed his eyes and pulled his fist back. "Don't worry; I'll only make you _feel_ like you've been thrown off of a tower…"

He cracked his fist across OuRyuumon's snout, drawing blood from the corner of his mouth. Next, he drove it into OuRyuumon's gut.

The dragon Digimon heaved and lurched forwards, spitting blood out onto the floor with a groan. He snarled and glared up at DarkKnightmon with a pained grin. "Gonna… kill… you…" he rumbled between staggered breaths.

"You had your chance for that, I'm afraid," DarkKnightmon replied, driving his knee into OuRyuumon's lower body. "Now, accept the justice you're owed."

With that, DarkKnightmon continued laying into OuRyuumon, pounding him and striking him until he felt satisfied.

OuRyuumon grimaced with every twinge of pain that shot through his body, though only allowing himself to grunt for all but the incredibly painful blows. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as more blood trickled out of his mouth and he felt DarkKnightmon's fist collide with the tip of his snout, causing the crimson liquid to flood out of his nostrils. He felt a sharp burning sensation in his eyes as they began to water, but he refused to open them in case DarkKnightmon mistook them for tears

He clenched his bound claws and tried to distract himself through the pain.

"_Alphamon…_" he thought to himself, flinching as he felt his long, serpentine body throb and spasm after another solid blow to his chest. "_I'm sorry… I need you… All my… fault…_"

* * *

><p>Examon sneered and flew sharply to the right as he dodged the massive, flaming Tyrant Collbrande, which Dorbickmon swiped at him from the ground as he flew forty feet into the air.<p>

"_The reach he has with that_…" Examon thought to himself, gripping the Ambrosius tightly with his claw on the trigged as he aimed at Dorbickmon. "Pendragon's Glory!"

A linear beam ripped from Examon's lance and tore across the ground in front of Dorbickmon, narrowly missing the wingless dragon as he stepped to the side. Dust and smoke exploded up from the impact, but Dorbickmon tore through the smoke, he jumped high into the air and slashed the elongated sword at Examon with a roar.

Examon gritted his teeth and swooped under the swing. He felt the heat of the blade against the Caledfwlch as they took him down and then began to climb through the air again. His body was already showing signs of wear and tear from the ongoing battle. There were cuts across his arms and legs, not to mention burns from Dorbickmon's fiery attacks. Dorbickmon was stronger than he expected and he had a burning intensity to go along with it. The dragon grimaced and looked over his shoulder.

"_He's a close-to-mid range attacker, so I should keep my distance from him and just fire from the sky, but I need to convince him to stop and talk_," Examon thought to himself, swinging around and flapping his wings.

"Flying won't be enough to help you!" Dorbickmon called up. He slashed his sword along the ground, tapping into the dragon veins, and summoning huge columns of rock from the ground to use as a staircase. He pulled the Tyrant Collbrande back up and allowed the fiery blade to shrink to its normal size again. Dorbickmon dashed up the makeshift stairs and lunged off at the top. He hurdled into Examon in a full body tackle, shifting his body to narrowly avoid getting struck by the Ambrosius' tip.

Dorbickmon grabbed hold of Examon's face as they fell through the air, pushing him down and pressing his blade against Examon's armoured chest.

Examon grunted as he fell through the air, unable to right himself or support Dorbickmon's weight. The Royal Knight crashed into the grass in a cascade of dirt and fire, landing hard on his winged back.

His assailant grinned, having made Examon take the brunt of the impact, and sat on his chest. Dorbickmon drove his clawed fist repeatedly into Examon's face. "I wonder… how long… it'll take… for you… to rage out… again…" he mused between punches.

Examon grimaced as his head was forced into the ground; Dorbickmon's jagged fists drew blood all over his face and snout as the punches pummelled his head. He tried to use the Ambrosius to retaliate, but he couldn't manoeuvre it at such a close range. He just ended firing off a blind shot behind Dorbickmon, which ripped across the grass harmlessly. Examon dropped the lance and reached his claws up to catch Dorbickmon's fist before it could hit him again. He sneered at Dorbickmon, looking up at him with one eye, as the other one was closed from pain and blood trickling over it. He held Dorbickmon's hand tightly, pushing against his might.

"That… was an accident…" Examon told him, panting. "I never meant… to hurt you…"

Dorbickmon scowled and drilled his other fist into Examon's armoured stomach, punching hard enough into the chrome digizoid for him to still feel it. The Royal Knight momentarily seized up at the painful blow, letting go of Dorbickmon's other hand.

"Well, I've got news for you, bastard! You did!" Dorbickmon snarled, grabbing Examon's throat and squeezing, his sharp claws digging into his scales slightly. "You really think I'm dumb enough to believe any excuses you thought up? If you didn't mean to hurt me, you would've gotten help! Anyways, I don't care anymore. I just care about kicking your sorry knight ass."

Examon grimaced and gasped for air, grabbing Dorbickmon's wrist and trying to pull his hand off. After seeing that Dorbickmon was physically stronger than him, Examon knew that he had to act. He moved his long tail swiftly and lashed at Dorbickmon's back like a whip, causing him to cry out and arch his back in pain. Feeling the grip loosen around his neck, Examon knocked Dorbickmon's arm away and drilled his bony claws across Dorbickmon's face, knocking the bulky dragon off of him.

Dorbickmon crashed to the ground and spat blood out onto the grass. He sneered when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Examon pull away and aim the Ambrosius. Dorbickmon quickly acted. He grabbed the shaft of Examon's lance and pointed it upwards as it fired, causing it to miss him. He then assailed Examon, lunging onto his body.

Examon grunted as Dorbickmon threw himself at him. He raised his free hand to try to defend himself. "Dorbickmon, st-!" He was crushed to the ground by another punch to his face.

The fiery Digimon then summoned the Tyrant Collbrande once again. Dorbickmon snarled and stabbed the burning blade straight through Examon's wing with enough strength to puncture the chrome digizoid. The Tyrant Collbrande pierced through the sail-like appendage and stabbed deep into the ground. Examon released a resounding howl of agony.

"Ha hah!" Dorbickmon laughed triumphantly, leering down at Examon as he kept his hand on his sword and he pinned Examon's arms down using his knees. "There it is! The first _real_ emotion that I've heard from you today! You can only hide yourself behind that fake, professional, knightly demeanour for so long!"

Examon cringed in absolute pain. In desperation, he drove his knee up to hit Dorbickmon's back end. This caused Dorbickmon to lose his balance and begin to stagger forwards, allowing Examon to free one of his arms. He tore his arm away and drilled his fist into Dorbickmon's side before slashing at it with his claws.

Dorbickmon rumbled with pain and anger and proceeded to cuff Examon across his face and strike him in the collar. The dragon man then stood to his feet over him. "Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" he roared.

Amethyst flames spewed from Dorbickmon's draconic maw and washed over Examon's body, searing him all over with ultra-hot flames.

Examon roared out at the burning anguish, but the roar soon faded away with exhaustion. The flames petered out and Examon lay on the ground, his body smoking, bruised, and bloodied.

Dorbickmon smirked with satisfaction as he stood over his old friend. He raised his arm and wiped the blood trickling from his mouth before licking his lips and leaning over Examon, who was too pained and tired to move. His claws reached down and gripped Examon's nose horn so that he could pull him off the ground slightly. Dorbickmon looked down into Examon's eyes with a victorious gleam.

"Looks like I won this time, Examon…" he told him. "DarkKnightmon'll be happy… Now he'll have two captains _and_ two Royal Knights…"

"What…?" Examon weakly whispered, looking up at him.

Dorbickmon let go of Examon's horn and let him drop back to the ground. He picked up the Ambrosius and threw it aside just in case Examon found enough strength to try and use it. He then stepped off of Examon and stood at his side, looking down at the dragon. "Now… How to carry you with your big ass wings…?" he mused.

"Shining V Force!" a voice resounded from the distance.

Dorbickmon turned towards the sound and he took on expression of shock and rage. He barely had enough time to bring his arms up to defend himself as a v-shaped ray of light slammed into his upper body, blasting him away. The next thing he knew, a cobalt blur was shooting towards him.

Examon watched with weary surprise as a familiar dragon knight rammed his shoulder into Dorbickmon's form at high speed, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying through the air until he hit the grass many meters away.

UlforceVeedramon landed in front of Examon, holding the Ulforce Sabre extending from his V-Bracelet up in front of him. "As somebody with 'big ass wings', I take offence to that!" he grinningly remarked.

"Ul…force…" Examon said, looking up at him.

"Not looking too sharp, Ex-sama," UlforceVeedramon said, glancing over his shoulder at him swiftly before turning his attention back to Dorbickmon, who rose to his feet.

"D-Damn it…" Dorbickmon snarled, glaring furiously at UlforceVeedramon. "You interfering, pink-winged ponce!"

"You've got a thing about wings, haven't you? You keep mentioning them," UlforceVeedramon asked him, tilting his head with a mocking grin. "Feeling jealous?"

Dorbickmon grunted and summoned the Tyrant Collbrande in his hands. "Okay, it looks like I'll be taking _two_ Royal Knights back as my prize! I ought to get a big reward for that," he said, glaring as the flickering flames of his sword caused his facial shadows to tremble.

"You'll have to defeat me first," the azure knight told him.

"And the rest of them," another voice added.

Dorbickmon and Examon turned their heads and saw a crimson dragon bird swoop down beside UlforceVeedramon.

"Grani?" Examon said, surprised to see him there as well.

"The others will be here soon," Grani explained, hovering beside UlforceVeedramon and looking at Dorbickmon.

"Others?" Dorbickmon asked through gritted teeth. He swore under his breath.

UlforceVeedramon frowned and looked at Grani with a questioning gaze. He gave UlforceVeedramon a quick glance.

Dorbickmon scowled and stabbed his blade into the ground. "Burning the Dragon!" he shouted. The earth shook and trembled beneath the blue dragon knight's feet. The land began to shoot up in front of them in earthy explosions as pillars and spikes of rock burst from the grass.

"UlforceVeedramon!" Grani exclaimed, flying into the air to avoid the morphing terrain.

UlforceVeedramon sneered and turned off his beam blade, quickly swerving around and taking Examon into his arms in an awkward carry. He flew into the air to meet with Grani as the blasts of ground continued, the bursting of pillars from the terra getting further and further away from them.

"He's retreating," Grani observed calmly, watching as the rock formations burst from the ground in the distance. "He's covering his escape."

"Take Examon," UlforceVeedramon told the Zero ARMS. "I'll pursue him."

Grani frowned. "I don't wish to speak out of turn, UlforceVeedramon, but I think that would be ill-advised."

UlforceVeedramon glanced sideways at Grani as he clung onto Examon. "Yeah, I'm kind of sensing that," he said. "Why did you say that the other Royal Knights were coming?"

"Because I was bluffing. Dorbickmon looks to be a powerful individual. He already defeated Examon; there's no guarantee that you would win on your own," Grani explained.

"I'm a way better close range fighter than Examon is," UlforceVeedramon responded. "No offence, Ex-sama."

Examon gave a weak grunt, although he couldn't help but feel like the way he was being carried was rather undignified. This always seemed to happen whenever UlforceVeedramon showed up to help him.

"Besides," UlforceVeedramon continued. "He was already worn down from their fight."

"Even so, we can't gauge how much fight he has left in him. Our main priority here is rescuing Examon, and getting into an avoidable fight might jeopardize that," Grani responded. "It would also have been a messy fight, and Examon may have been hurt in the process."

"It seems like a wasted opportunity, if we let one of DarkKnightmon's allies escape…" UlforceVeedramon said. He sighed. "I guess you have a point though."

"Shall I take Examon?" Grani asked him.

"Please," UlforceVeedramon said with a light chuckle. "That Dorbickmon guy had a point; I don't know how to carry this big jumble of limbs." He flew over and lay Examon down on Grani's back. "I'll go get your weapon. Just give me a few seconds."

Examon nodded and watched UlforceVeedramon fly down quickly.

"What happened, Examon?" Grani asked, glancing up at his passenger.

"He pretended to be hurt," Examon replied. He reached over and put his hand on the hole in his wing. He grimaced at the sensitive contact and withdrew his claws. "How did you two…?"

"Luckily, UlforceVeedramon was helping me scout the area for traces of either Omegamon or DarkKnightmon's group," Grani explained. "We saw the lights of battle in the distance and UlforceVeedramon went to investigate."

UlforceVeedramon returned with the Ambrosius resting on his shoulder. "Okay, I've got it," he explained. "Let's head back to headquarters; you can tell us all about it after to have a nice, long visit with Dusky."

Examon gave a weak nod and lay back on Grani, too exhausted and pained to do much else. He felt Grani begin to fly and saw UlforceVeedramon escorting them from the side. The red dragon knight closed his eyes and released a sigh.

"_Strikedramon… I can't believe… that I did this to you…_"


	30. Chapter 21: Decisive Action

(Author's notes: Lame title is lame. Sorry for the wait. A lot of hold ups this month. Partially due to the Mass Effect series. My goal is to have this fic finished by the end of the year. We're almost there. Then I'll move onto the sequel. Hopefully I can hold myself to that. I'm definitely going to try. Anyways, enjoy.)

**Chapter 21: Decisive Action**

Examon slowly opened his eyelids and yawned slightly. His emerald eyes had to adjust to the light of the room since they had been closed for so long. He felt a mild pain in his body, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he last remembered it being. As he gained his bearings, Examon realized that he was still in the medical bay of the headquarters. He was sure because there was a mild, sterile smell that Examon came to associate with the room.

He turned his head so that he was facing upwards, moving slowly so that he didn't accidentally puncture the pillow with his two back-facing horns. It was then that he saw a familiar, black, multi-eyed figure come into his view.

"Oh, you're awake," Duskmon greeted, walking over to Examon's bed. "Good morning."

"Morning…?" Examon asked, confused.

"You fell asleep as soon as UlforceVeedramon and Dynasmon put you down on the bed," the physician explained.

"I did?" Examon asked with a wince, sounding annoyed with himself. "I didn't have the chance to explain what happened."

"There's time for that, Examon. You need to focus on resting for the time being," Duskmon said, placing his hands on his hips. "You were in pretty bad condition when you came in here."

"I feel better now," Examon said. He felt a sharp twinge of pain through his body, causing him to cringe. "For the most part… How bad was it?"

"Your organs, bones, and digicore are all fine, thankfully; the wounds were mostly superficial. That said, you had some heavy bruising and lacerations all over, and you're going to have a hell of a black eye," Duskmon explained to him. "Also, we've bandaged that hole in your wing and treated it with a data-restorative cream. Until it's healed, I don't want you flying on it."

Examon sighed and nodded. "I do need to speak to the other knights, though."

"If it's that urgent, you can tell them from bed," Duskmon said to him. "Only a few of them, though. This is a place of healing, not a council chamber."

Examon gave a soft nod of resignation. "Thank you."

"I'll go get them," Duskmon told him, turning away and walking past a few other beds to the other side of the ward. As he went, his left shoulder eye glanced behind him to make sure that Examon was staying put while he was out. "Apprentice, keep an eye on Sir Examon while I'm out. And make sure that Garmmon doesn't agitate his cut."

As Duskmon walked out into the large corridor, Examon closed his eyes and waited. He tried to ignore the itching sensation of the healing cream that had been put on his wings and body, particularly where the large hole was. He listened to the sounds of Duskmon's apprentice checking on the three other patients in the medical bay.

As much as he didn't want to think about it, Dorbickmon kept pervading his thoughts. So many feelings were swelling underneath him, although nobody would have thought it by looking at him. Guilt was, by far, the most prominent emotion. Along with that was relief at seeing Dorbickmon alive after all, shock that he was so different, confusion at why he was working with DarkKnightmon, frustration that they were working together at all, and sadness that Dorbickmon seemed to hate him so much.

"_I can't exactly blame him…_" Examon thought to himself. "_After what I did to him…_"

Even though he felt that way, the Royal Knight couldn't help but be surprised that he was so militant towards him. He wouldn't even hear him out about his side of the story, although Examon knew that he didn't have a magic excuse that somehow made him blameless. While it was true that Dorbickmon, as a Strikedramon, accidentally brushed his Gekerin while they were play-wrestling, triggering his violent physiological response, Examon could have tried to control himself better or at least stayed around to get help for his friend. However, he didn't, and it seemed that he was now suffering the consequences. Examon couldn't help but feel that they were long overdue.

The dragon opened his eyes when he heard the clamour of metal boots hitting the floor as they entered the room. He looked over and saw Alphamon, Dukemon, UlforceVeedramon, and Grani come over.

"Did you give him enough bandages, Duskmon?" UlforceVeedramon asked with a grin. "He looks like a Mummymon. Or at least a dragon-mummy."

Duskmon rolled all of his eyes. "No more than necessary," he said before going back to his duties.

"Examon," Alphamon greeted, smiling at him a little. "How are you feeling?"

"Don't worry about me," Examon responded. "Duskmon said that none of the wounds are serious."

"We're glad to hear it," Dukemon said to him, walking over to the bed. "So Grani and Ulforce here said that you got into a fight with a Dorbickmon…"

"Was it the same Dorbickmon as the one who fought Omegamon and I?" Alphamon questioned him.

Examon paused. He didn't know how much he should tell them about Dorbickmon. "It was…" Examon answered. "He admitted that he was working with DarkKnightmon, so I assume it was the same one."

"Who is he…?" Alphamon asked aloud, not speaking to anybody in particular.

Examon remained quiet although his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"What I want to know is where you disappeared to," Dukemon said, folding his arms as he looked at Examon. "From what we could tell, you've been gone since the night OuRyuumon left, two days ago."

"Yeah, nobody's seen you since then," UlforceVeedramon said. He grinned slightly. "RhodoKnightmon's already began to fantasize about you two leaving together."

Alphamon rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably at the mention of OuRyuumon. He looked at Examon, wondering about the answer as well.

The draconic Royal Knight paused for a few moments, thinking to himself. Finally, he sighed with compliance. "To be totally honest… I went after OuRyuumon," he admitted.

Alphamon looked at him with surprise. "You… did?" he asked.

From Alphamon's response, Examon couldn't tell if he was annoyed or not. He nodded in reply. "I… saw him leaving the castle with his things so I followed him to find out what was going on…" he explained. "We stayed at an inn overnight and it wasn't until the morning that he told me what had happened."

The Lord of the Empty Seat stiffened up at his words. "…And… what did he say?" he asked cautiously. As he spoke, Dukemon glanced over at Alphamon, picking up on his apprehension.

"He just said that you and Alphamon had a fight over DarkKnightmon," Examon explained, making sure to be vague just in case Alphamon didn't want Dukemon, UlforceVeedramon, and Grani knowing the details about what OuRyuumon did to DarkKnightmon.

"That's what happened?" UlforceVeedramon asked, looking over at Alphamon and remembering his vague address to the Royal Knights about OuRyuumon leaving the Order due to 'differences'. "That guy isn't worth fighting over."

Alphamon brushed off the comment as he didn't want to get into it then and there. "What happened?"

Examon glanced away sheepishly. "Uh… I was trying to convince him to come back but… he and I had an argument. I decided to come home and he kept going to New Terminal."

"…I see…" Alphamon responded expressionlessly. "And, on your way back, you came across Dorbickmon?"

Examon nodded with a deeper frown. "It… was like he was waiting for me…"

"When he defeated you, it looked as if he was going to take you prisoner, similar to what happened with Omegamon," Grani observed. "Didn't it, UlforceVeedramon?"

The cobalt knight nodded, folding his arms. "That's what it looked and sounded like."

Alphamon frowned and rubbed his chin, trying to figure out what DarkKnightmon's intentions were.

"There's something else…" Examon suddenly spoke up, as if just remembering something.

"Yes?" the black knight asked him.

"It was something Dorbickmon said to me after I was defeated," the dragon said. "He said, 'Now we have two captains and two Royal Knights.'"

"What…?" Dukemon questioned, frowning in thought. "Two Royal Knights… That's you and Omegamon, I guess. But two Captains…"

Grani narrowed his eyes. "MirageGaogamon and…"

Alphamon thought to himself. He saw Captain Knightmon just that morning, as well as the Captain of the Stealth Forces. That only left the Strike Forces. It was then that Alphamon's eyes widened with horror.

"OuRyuumon…" he whispered.

"What…? No way…" Dukemon said, disbelievingly.

"It was only a few hours since I last saw him. Was there time?" Examon questioned with concern.

"It's the only option," Alphamon replied, grimacing hard at the realization. "The Captain of the Strike Forces is the only one unaccounted for. And… this is the sort of thing that DarkKnightmon would do…"

Without another word, Alphamon turned around and strode out of the medical bay, his cape flowing behind him.

"A-Alphamon," Dukemon said after him, glaring angrily at the news. He clenched his fists and growled a bit. "This is the last thing he needed…"

"You don't really think OuRyuumon's been captured, do you?" UlforceVeedramon asked. "He's not the type to go down easily… Besides, he'd drive his captors crazy," he added with a laugh. However, the laugh faded when he saw that the others were grim and silent. "So… We've got to figure out how to find them."

"Agreed…" Grani spoke. "I'm going to go call a meeting with my scouts."

UlforceVeedramon turned to leave as well. "I'll go speak with the other knights."

Dukemon nodded. "I'll just talk to Examon for a minute…"

As UlforceVeedramon and Grani made their way out of the medical bay, Dukemon walked up beside Examon's bed. He gave Examon a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going to give you a lecture about going off on your own."

When Dukemon saw Examon's lack of a response, he frowned suspiciously and folded his arms. "Examon? Is something wrong?" he questioned.

Examon closed his eyes, continuing to think to himself about what to say. "I…" He stalled. "Yes… There's something I didn't mention…"

Dukemon arched an eyebrow behind his visor. "Okay… What's that?" he asked in a diplomatic tone.

Examon opened his eyes and they turned to look at Dukemon uncertainly. "Remember when I told you about my past?" he asked him. When Dukemon nodded in memory, Examon continued. "It's Dorbickmon… He's Strikedramon. The friend that I wounded and… abandoned."

"…You're kidding," Dukemon replied, looking at Examon with eyes full of disbelief. "Why do you say that?"

"He told me," Examon explained, a guilty cringe growing on his face. "He wasn't lying… I recognize those passionate eyes."

"Unbelievable…" the crimson knight spoke, unfolding his arms and bringing one up to rub the back of his head. "That's one hell of a coincidence…"

"I don't think it is a coincidence…" the bed-ridden dragon answered. He balled up his fists in momentary frustration "He really hates me, Dukemon… So much that he's working with DarkKnightmon just to get back at me. In fact, he was the one who freed DarkKnightmon from the Dark Area in the first place."

"He was the one…? But how?" Dukemon asked with a sneer.

"He used the dragon veins, I think he said," Examon replied.

Dukemon narrowed his eyes a little and reached over to place his hand on Examon's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Don't blame yourself, Examon. He chose to be a mercenary, so not all of the blame can land at your feet."

"No, but enough of it does. He wouldn't have hurt anybody back before that happened," the dragon knight replied.

"You don't know what else happened in his life afterwards," Dukemon explained. "Look, don't worry about it right now."

Examon grunted and lay back in the bed. "I know you're trying to help, but that's easier said than done."

"Then at least try not to think about it. Focus on resting; you think too much sometimes anyways," Dukemon said with a grin, patting his shoulder. "We'll talk later. You need to rest and I need to talk to Alphamon."

"Yeah, okay," the dragon said, closing his eyes. "Sorry I didn't bring OuRyuumon back. Maybe if I—"

"Examon," Dukemon interrupted. "If you don't stop feeling sorry for yourself, I'm going to gag you with your pillow."

At this, Examon managed a grin. "Message received and understood."

Dukemon smirked. "Good. Now get some rest," he told Examon. With a final pat, Dukemon turned and made his way out of the medical bay. He had a guess where Alphamon might be.

* * *

><p>Alphamon stood out on the castle wall, leaning forwards on one of the large, stone ramparts. Heavy rain fell all around him from the dark, grey clouds that blanketed the sky. The rain poured down on him, splashing onto his armour, trickling into its gaps and soaking his skin underneath, and drenched his white and blue cape.<p>

He didn't seem to be affected by the showers. He was too concerned with looking out into the distance, although he could barely see much due to the poor visibility the rain provided. However, he seemed more to be deep in thought rather than actually looking at anything in particular.

The short, black, owl-like form of a Falcomon flew over and landed on the parapet next to Alphamon. "Alphamon, sir?" he asked. "You're becoming soaked. Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to the pavilion where there's shelter from the rain?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Alphamon assured him, making no audible indication that there was anything wrong. "Carry on, Falcomon."

Although uncertain, the Falcomon obeyed and continued flying along the wall, leaving Alphamon to his thoughts.

Alphamon's gaze softened as he stared out at the rainy landscape, water dripping down his face and body.

"_First Omegamon and now OuRyuumon… Two of my best friends…_" he thought to himself as a twinge of pain squeezed at his insides. "_If only I had been stronger… better…_"

Alphamon tensed up when he felt a hand press against his back. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder to see the familiar red and white form of Dukemon standing there.

Despite the rain, Dukemon smiled and walked up beside Alphamon. "It's a bit wet to be enjoying the view, isn't it?" he asked him, keeping his hand on the Lord of the Empty Seat's back. He looked over at Alphamon, seeing his cape matted against his back. "You'll be able to squeeze a whole lake out of that cape."

"I don't mind," Alphamon replied.

Dukemon stood beside him, his own cape and hair getting soaked from the rain as well. "Should I ask how you are or is that a stupid question?"

"Stupid question…" Alphamon said, sighing and looking down at the grass far below the wall. "It's all my fault."

"You're the second guy to say that to me today. I swear, there's something about knights and guilt-complexes," Dukemon replied with a touch of levity in his voice. "So, why is it your fault?"

"All of those things I said to OuRyuumon," Alphamon responded with narrowing eyes. "I told him to leave the Order. I gave DarkKnightmon the opportunity to attack him while he was alone. Now, who knows what's going to happen to him?"

"Just like Omegamon's capture is your fault, right?" Dukemon asked him, his tone now sarcastic.

Alphamon balled up his fists. "Wasn't it, Dukemon? I insisted on going after DarkKnightmon alone."

"Alphamon, _stop it_," Dukemon said to his friend sharply. "Stop this thing that you do where you take all the responsibility onto your own shoulders. I know you feel that, because you're the Lord of the Empty Seat, you have greater responsibilities and you have to deal with things alone, but you don't. We're all in this with you, and none of this is your fault. Sure, maybe you could have handled certain things better, but nobody's perfect. We're a team and the purpose of a team is supporting each other and making up for others' shortcomings. That's what you're always saying to the new members, isn't it?"

Alphamon paused. After a few short moments of mulling over Dukemon's words, he sighed. "I know… I know what you're saying is true. I've just been feeling like everything I've done has been wrong recently. I can't help but feel like a failure when I can't even protect my second in command or partner." He frowned. "Maybe I _should_ have killed DarkKnightmon back then…"

"I don't think you mean that… A lot of us would have lost a load of respect for you if you had done that, I think," Dukemon told him, rubbing his back. "Anyways… Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to help anything. Do you think Omegamon or OuRyuumon would want you standing out in the rain, sulking?"

"No…" Alphamon responded, closing his eyes and standing up straight.

Dukemon turned to face him fully, the rain still pouring down on their bodies. "I'm not telling you to close off your emotions and become a machine. I'm the last person who would tell you to do that," he assured him. "It's just that this isn't the right outlet."

Alphamon turned to face him as well. "I know. You're right."

Dukemon smiled warmly at him and let his hand rest on Alphamon's shoulder. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? And the other Royal Knights too… well… maybe not Duftmon, but all of them are your friends."

Alphamon smiled a bit. "Yes… I know."

After his words, there was a silence between them, filled only the sounds of the rain pattering against their armour and the stone wall.

"…I miss him," he wistfully admitted. "Both of them…"

Dukemon closed the gap between them and pressed his arms around Alphamon's caped and armoured body, embracing him and patting his back. "I know, Alphamon."

Alphamon stalled for a moment before returning the hug, gripping Dukemon's back before pulling away. "…Thank you," Alphamon said to his friend, looking into his eyes gratefully. "I think I needed that pep talk."

Dukemon chuckled and placed his hands on his hips. "I'm getting used to it," he explained. The crimson knight looked up at the clouds, which continued to torrent rain. "Why don't we go inside? At this rate, I'm going to drown in my own armour."

Alphamon managed a smirk and nodded. "You and me both," he agreed, turning and beginning to head across the bridge behind them, heading towards one of the towers of the main building. "I need to find the Captain of the Stealth Forces anyways. We'll need both his spies and Grani's scouts."

"Karatenmon?" Dukemon asked, walking up alongside him. "Maybe you should ask him to enlist the help of his ninja friends as well. I'm sure he'd be willing to."

"We'll have to see…" Alphamon responded. "As much as I might like to, I don't want to send the whole Order out looking for Omegamon and OuRyuumon. It wouldn't be practical to draw monpower away from other areas just to look for them. We need to maintain the day-to-day routine as much as possible so that we don't create cracks in our defences that DarkKnightmon can exploit."

"It's nice to see that you're still not leading with your emotions," Dukemon observed with a smile. "Even though I personally think that acting with your heart can sometimes be a good thing."

Alphamon nodded. "You're not wrong, but I think that that's what DarkKnightmon is hoping for. All of these attacks have been very personal, but I can't let them affect me since I'm almost positive that that's what he wants."

"Good. That's the spirit," Dukemon said, placing his hand on Alphamon's wet shoulder as they passed over the bridge. As they reached the door on the opposite side and went in to take shelter from the rain, Dukemon moved his hand and looked over at Alphamon. "We'll get them both back, Alphamon. Royal Knights never leave other Royal Knights in their times of need, after all."

"Yes…" Alphamon replied, closing his eyes. "You're right. We will."

* * *

><p>OuRyuumon drew hoarse, haggard breaths from his mouth. His nostrils were too clotted up with dried blood for him to breathe through them. Every time he sucked in and blew out, his chest ached and trembled.<p>

He remained barely standing in the repurposed dining room. The dragon Digimon was in bad shape. His arms were still bound and suspended above his head by the chrome digizoid chains, which connected to a rung on the ceiling. His wrists itched from all the struggling and the friction of the metal. Blood trickled from his draconic mouth and nose down to his chin and neck. Most of it had since dried and was caked to his face. His body was bruised all over and there was the odd cut from where an edge of DarkKnightmon's gauntlets got hooked on his scales. OuRyuumon felt like one of his ribs might be broken, but he was in no condition to check. He was so exhausted and pained that he was barely able to keep himself on his feet.

DarkKnightmon had laid into him for a good thirty or forty minutes, using him as a punching bag. When he had enough, he left somewhere. OuRyuumon didn't know where.

This hadn't been in OuRyuumon's plans at all. He was supposed to go and defeat DarkKnightmon to show Alphamon that it was a mistake to dismiss him from the Order. But now he was DarkKnightmon's prisoner before he had even had the chance to act on his mission. His humiliation was only outweighed by his frustration.

The sound of the door slowly creaking open drew his attention. OuRyuumon weakly raised his head, just a few centimeters, and looked up with a glare.

To his surprise, it wasn't DarkKnightmon, Dorbickmon, MirageGaogamon, or even Omegamon Zwart who appeared. It was a skinny, humanoid Digimon. He was dressed in white clothing and he wore a white, wolf-shaped helmet atop his beige-skinned, blond-haired head. The Wolfmon looked around the room nervously before walking inside.

OuRyuumon gritted his teeth and eyed the Wolfmon suspiciously as he made his way inside the room.

"OuRyuumon, sir…" he said nervously, walking over and stopping several meters away from him. The guilt and distress was obvious on Wolfmon's facial features.

OuRyuumon narrowed his eyes a bit. "You're… the new mayor… of Lupolford… aren't you?" he wheezed, still trying to catch his breath and find a way to speak without the stabbing pain in his serpentine body.

"Y…Yes…" Wolfmon responded, looking down at his feet. "I'm so sorry about this."

"About what…?" OuRyuumon asked, sneering in a way that revealed his sharp, bloody teeth. "Oh… You mean about letting them use your town hall as their home base to attack the Royal Knights? I don't think 'sorry's gonna cut it!" he shouted. OuRyuumon suddenly winced and tried to curl up as a stabbing pain shot through his body from his previous injuries.

Wolfmon grimaced and looked away from him in shame. "I… I have no choice…" he told him apologetically. "Dorbickmon said that if I told _anybody_ about what they're doing, he'd burn the town to the ground."

"Tch…" OuRyuumon scoffed, still breathing heavily. "He's bluffing… If he did that… the Royal Knights would come down on them like a lightning bolt."

"I can't take that risk… I'm responsible for everybody here," Wolfmon explained.

OuRyuumon growled weakly. "So, what are you here for?" he asked curtly.

"I was just wondering… uhh… what you wanted to eat…" he admitted sheepishly.

The dragon Digimon eyed him with his sharp, purple eyes. "Why? Isn't it DarkKnightmon's job to feed his prisoner? Or are they afraid I might bite their hands off?"

"All four of them left together an hour ago," Wolfmon explained. "They left me in charge of the town hall while they're gone. I wasn't sure if they've been feeding you, so…"

"In that case… I'm kinda hoping that you free me…" OuRyuumon told him, although it left an incredibly sour taste in his mouth to say.

The mayor looked away. "I'm sorry… but I can't."

OuRyuumon gritted his teeth. "I know you're worried about what they'll do, but is what you're doing now any better?" he asked him. He tugged against the chains. "You're just going along with whatever they say! How's that gonna make you look after all this is over? Like a spineless coward who betrayed the Royal Knights."

Wolfmon winced. "Maybe… but that's a lot better than a mayor who got his town burned down and his citizens killed."

"It doesn't have to end up like that!" OuRyuumon urged him, although cringing with pain. "There're other ways!"

"I don't see how…" Wolfmon muttered. He finally forced himself to turn and look at OuRyuumon. "Believe me. I _want_ to help you, but no matter which way you cut it, if you're gone when they come back, whatever excuse I give won't make a difference. It'll be the town that pays for it."

"Not if I can fly back to the castle and tell them what happened in time," OuRyuumon insisted, balling up his gloved fists."Then the Royal Knights can hurry here and stop them from doing anything to the town, not to mention uncover their base of operations."

"You're barely able to stand, sir, let alone fly," Wolfmon said to him with a sad, defeated, and sceptical look.

"I can fly just fine once the chains are off of them," OuRyuumon maintained, frowning harder.

"I'm sorry… I can't risk it. I have no idea how long they're gone for. It could just be for a few hours," Wolfmon explained, scratching his blond hair. "They could come back and find you missing before you even got back to your headquarters."

OuRyuumon growled with frustration. "Come on, Wolfmon!" he told him heatedly. "The Royal Knights made _you_ the mayor for a reason, and that's saying a hell of a lot after what the last guy tried to do. You're the _mayor_ so think of something! You've got more authority than the average Digimon, so there's gotta be _something_ you can think of. I've gotta warn them about what DarkKnightmon did to Omegamon!"

Wolfmon grimaced at his words. "I… I'll…" He frowned with a sudden determination. "I'll see what I can do."

"Just don't take too long," OuRyuumon told him, looking down at him. "There isn't a lot of time."

Mayor Wolfmon nodded. "I'll keep that in mind…" he replied. He sheepishly looked at the former Captain. "In the meantime… Are you hungry?"

"No… I'll probably end up puking it up," OuRyuumon responded, thinking about the throbbing in his stomach and abdomen from the beating he took. "I'll just have some water. Try to focus on figuring something out."

"I'll do my best," Wolfmon told him. He gave OuRyuumon a brave look and then turned around to walk out of the room, closing the door behind him.

OuRyuumon took the opportunity to wince and slump forwards a bit. Now that Wolfmon was gone, he allowed his weakness to show again. He felt as though he was going to throw up even without food inside him. The upper half of his body was very numb with pain and he had little blood flow in his hands. His insides felt tender from DarkKnightmon's vicious pummelling. He hissed and panted with staggered breaths.

"_Damnit…_" OuRyuumon thought to himself. "_Alphamon… Fuck my pride. I just want to get back to you and make sure you're okay."_

* * *

><p>"So, you're telling us that OuRyuumon's been taken prisoner by DarkKnightmon and them too?"<p>

Dynasmon folded his arms as he looked at Alphamon and Dukemon, frowning angrily at what they had told them. Around him were the other Royal Knights minus Examon, who was still recuperating. Magnamon, RhodoKnightmon, Craniamon, Sleipmon, UlforceVeedramon, and Duftmon all looked at them. The brief silence that ensued was accentuated by the drumming of raindrops against the council room's tall, stained glass window of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode.

"We believe that's the case," Alphamon said grimly.

"That fool," Duftmon said with a scowl. "Now DarkKnightmon has two pieces of leverage over us."

"Two of our friends, you mean," Dynasmon corrected, looking at the leopard knight with a sideways leer.

"Regardless," Duftmon spoke. "They still have two hostages that they can do what they like with. Our strategies have to be heedful of that. They might use them as bargaining chips or shields or bait… any number of possibilities."

"Thanks a lot for that, Duftmon," UlforceVeedramon dryly said. "Great morale booster."

"I am simply being realistic," the tactician explained, placing his hands on his hips.

"How're Grani and his scouts doing?" Craniamon asked, looking over at Dukemon. "The longer we sit around as they search, the more time we give the enemy."

"They're doing their best, Craniamon," Dukemon explained. "They're searching all over and asking around. We've got some of the Stealth Forces working on it too. The Strike Forces have also been putting up wanted posters all over the Free Area."

"I'd like to put a new rule into effect until this crisis is resolved," Alphamon spoke up. "No Royal Knight goes out of our territory alone. It seems like DarkKnightmon is trying to take us down one-by-one, as evidenced by the capture of Omegamon, OuRyuumon, and the attempted capture of Examon."

"What?" Craniamon complained, leering at Alphamon indignantly. "I do _not_ need a babysitter."

"Be reasonable, Craniamon," Magnamon said to him. "If Omegamon and Alphamon were taken down, then any of us could be if we're not careful."

"Tch," the violet knight scoffed. "I don't see how they can possibly be that powerful."

"They're no stronger than any of us," Alphamon explained. "However, DarkKnightmon knows how to make the most of Digimons' skills and abilities, and more importantly, how to exploit their weaknesses. He's not invincible, but he's not to be underestimated. That's why I think that these precautions are necessary."

"Very well," Duftmon conceded with an audible sigh. "It makes sense to me, so long as I'm not paired up with Dynasmon."

"Oh, but you and he make such a cute couple!" RhodoKnightmon remarked playfully.

"Disgusting!" Dynasmon yelled out in outrage at the prospect.

"We make no such thing!" Duftmon countered irritably. "Keep your abnormal fantasies to yourself, RhodoKnightmon. This is a serious meeting."

"Apologies, of course," the pink knight dismissively said. "So, what should we do about the current crisis, exactly? Until the scouts or spies find out where Omegamon is being held, we can't exactly mount an effort to rescue him."

Dynasmon frowned and placed his large hands on his hips. "We can't just keep waiting while DarkKnightmon is doing who-knows-what to Omegamon."

"We may not have to," a voice behind Dynasmon said suddenly.

"Gah!" Dynasmon shouted, jerking with surprise and whirling around.

Behind him was a humanoid bird Digimon covered with feathers as black as the night sky, primarily at his shoulders and the two, large wings that sprouted from his back. His lean form was covered in violet chest armour, which matched his avian helmet and his wrist and ankle bracers. Around his waist was a belt that held two sword sheathes, one on each side of his hips. The sheathes rested against a pale brown cloth wrapped around his waist, over a pair of white pants. His feathers and clothes were dripping wet, as if he had just been out in the rain, and there was a trail of water drops leading from the doors to the great hall. Despite this, the Karatenmon's red eyes looked at Dynasmon with a calm but whimsical look.

"Damn it, Karatenmon!" Dynasmon exclaimed. "I know you're a ninja and all, but stop sneaking up like that!"

Karatenmon smirked. "Sorry, Dynasmon. Force of habit," he replied, although he didn't sound that sorry.

Alphamon looked over at the humanoid crow Digimon inquisitively; it was Karatenmon, the Captain of the Stealth Forces. "Karatenmon? What do you mean?"

Karatenmon folded his arms. "I intercepted a messenger who was on his way here from Lupolford."

"Lupolford?" Magnamon asked. "He flew from there in this weather?"

"He said that Mayor Wolfmon told him it was a message of the utmost priority," the corvid captain explained. "And that he needed it delivered at all costs."

Karatenmon took a leather pouch that hung from his belt and opened it up. He reached his avian claws inside and took out a rolled up scroll of paper, bound by a black ribbon. He walked over and presented it to Alphamon. "I think it's worth looking at," he told Alphamon with a meaningful gaze.

Alphamon arched an eyebrow and untied the ribbon, opening up the scroll and reading the digilettering written down on it. His eyes scrolled across the page. "He wants us to change the date of the Lupolford inspection from a few months' time to tomorrow."

"…And that's important how?" Dynasmon asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"It is a rather odd request…" Duftmon determined. "To expedite an inspection so quickly and at such short notice."

Alphamon glanced at Karatenmon. "It's almost as if there's something that he wants us to inspect…" he observed, his words lingering.

Karatenmon nodded slowly. "It does seem that way, doesn't it?" The crow man Digimon took a step back and bowed politely. "I'll await your orders, whatever you decide."

The captain of the stealth forces walked away from the Royal Knights and quietly made his way out to the great hall.

"What's that about?" Dynasmon asked with an arched eyebrow, feeling confused. "What's he getting at?"

"I think Karatenmon thinks that the Mayor is trying to send us a subtle message… something to do with DarkKnightmon or Omegamon and OuRyuumon," Alphamon explained. He rubbed his chin with his fingers. "I'm inclined to believe him."

"There could be a different reason why he wants to change the inspection date," Sleipmon suggested.

"I don't think so," Alphamon replied, bringing his hand down and tapping the letter. "At the end, Wolfmon says, 'if the issue arises, you insisted that we changed the date.'"

"My, that _is_ strange…" RhodoKnightmon observed.

Dukemon nodded and narrowed his eyes. "It's as if he's being threatened…"

"So… What?" Craniamon asked. "You think that DarkKnightmon and them are holing up in Lupolford and threatening Wolfmon to keep them quiet?"

"Yes, I believe so," Alphamon said.

Duftmon folded his arms and thought to himself. "That does line up with my theory…" he said. "It seemed like they were residing somewhere within the Free Area, given the pattern of their movements."

"Suppose this is all a trap," UlforceVeedramon suggested. "Maybe they threatened Wolfmon into writing that letter so that they could draw some of us to Lupolford in order to capture us, if that's what they're trying to do."

"It's possible…" Alphamon admitted. "Though that still means there's something going on in that town."

"I think we should do the inspection," Dukemon stated, turning and looking at Alphamon. "We just need to be careful. What do you think?"

Alphamon nodded. "I don't mind going to check it out."

"Foolish idea," Duftmon remarked. "Many of DarkKnightmon's actions seem focused on you, Alphamon. You going would be playing into his hands, if this is, indeed, a trap. At any rate, you're hurt."

The Lord of the Empty Seat raised an eyebrow. "Are you worried about me, Duftmon?"

"Hmph," Duftmon spoke, turning his gaze away. "You simply cannot act at maximum combat efficiency with those wounds you sustained. It is the same reason why Examon cannot go."

Alphamon smiled a little. "Very well… I'll stay here," he spoke. He thought to himself. "_As much as I don't want to…_"

"Then who will go?" RhodoKnightmon asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"In case this is a trap, I don't feel comfortable picking any of you," Alphamon said. "Are there any volunteers? Keep in mind that a team of at least three is mandatory."

"I'll go," UlforceVeedramon said, raising his hand nonchalantly.

"Me too," Craniamon stated determinedly. "I'd like to have a crack at these guys."

"Don't go in to start a fight," Alphamon told him. "Omegamon and OuRyuumon's rescue is the top priority. We also don't necessarily know that they're there, so treat this as a scouting mission."

Craniamon sighed. "Fine."

Alphamon nodded. "Who else? One or two more should do."

"I'll go," Dynasmon offered. "You need someone there who knows what DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon are capable of."

"I'll go too," Sleipmon offered. "To balance things out."

"That is satisfactory," Duftmon said, looking the group of four over with folded arms and a meticulous gaze. "Speed, defence, offence, and range. I can attempt to come up with a plan, but as this is a covert scouting mission under the guise of a routine inspection, there's only so much that I am able to do."

"It's really no different from what we usually do during inspections," Dukemon explained. "We always have to be extra aware in order to spot things that are out of place. The only difference is that we're looking for Omegamon and OuRyuumon."

"It's also more exciting, for another thing," RhodoKnightmon added.

"Our last inspection wasn't exciting enough?" Sleipmon asked with a small grin.

"Oh, it could have been more exciting if you took me up on my offer," RhodoKnightmon teased him.

"What offer's this?" UlforceVeedramon questioned, a smirk growing on his face.

"You don't want to know," Sleipmon sheepishly replied. "Anyways, there's another difference too. This could be a trap and they could be using civilian Digimon as hostages, not to mention Omegamon and OuRyuumon."

Alphamon nodded. "That means you four will need to be extra careful," he explained. "Omegamon and OuRyuumon will probably have tried to leave clues, and you'll need to be wary of an ambush."

"Got it," Craniamon replied affirmatively.

"Won't it seem weird having four Royal Knights going for a single inspection?" Dynasmon asked. "We usually assign two at the most, not counting if things turn ugly. It might look suspicious."

"We'll just say that we want to be extra careful. It makes sense, given the mistake during the last inspection, when we missed that Anubismon was planning to attack the UDC," UlforceVeedramon said.

"Yeah, I guess that's believable," the violet dragon man conceded.

"The first thing we should do is talk to Mayor Wolfmon at the town hall," UlforceVeedramon told them.

"We'll also need to determine the possible places where they could be holding them," Sleipmon suggested.

"We can take advantage of Karatenmon's stealth forces for that," Magnamon pointed out. "They've probably learned to keep an eye out for the scouts, but DarkKnightmon shouldn't know about our stealth forces since they're not common knowledge and they were brought in after he was exiled to the Dark Area. We could send a spy in."

"I guess we could, but we're headed to Lupolford tomorrow anyways," Dynasmon replied.

"An extra set of eyes couldn't hurt," Magnamon said to him. "The spy could look around today and tomorrow and then meet up with your group when you arrive. With any luck, they'd be able to tell you if it's a trap or if Omegamon and OuRyuumon are there."

"I guess that'd be fine, as long as they didn't get caught," Dynasmon replied.

"That _is_ the idea behind the role of a spy," Duftmon sarcastically told him, earning him a sneer from Dynasmon.

"I believe that's a good idea," Alphamon agreed, placing his hand on Magnamon's shoulder. He turned to look at Dynasmon. "Dynasmon? Since you're the most familiar with DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon, I want you to be the team leader during this mission."

"Got it, Alphamon," Dynasmon agreed.

"This should be fun," UlforceVeedramon joked, elbowing Dynasmon playfully.

Dynasmon elbowed him back a little too hard, causing the cobalt dragon to stumble a bit. "Don't have a problem, Ulforce, do you?" he asked him with a grin.

"Not at all," UlforceVeedramon responded, rubbing his sore bicep. "As long as you don't sleep through the day tomorrow or accidentally blow up the city hall."

"I think I know how to control my attacks," he replied, giving Ulforce a sideways glance.

"Hopefully it won't have to come to attacks," Alphamon told them. "So, it's Dynasmon, UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, and Sleipmon?" When he received nods, Alphamon placed his hands on his hips. "In that case, Dukemon, Magnamon, RhodoKnightmon, Duftmon, and I will remain here."

Duftmon nodded. "I will have a look at the maps and layout of Lupolford and try to determine some points of interest for you and the spy to check out."

"Then I suppose the meeting's finished," the black knight spoke. "I'll talk to Captain Karatenmon about who to send as a spy. Duftmon, summon us to the war room when you're ready."

"Very well," Duftmon concurred, beginning to make his way out of the council room.

Craniamon looked at Sleipmon, UlforceVeedramon, and Dynasmon. "Looks like I'll be the only one needing to go to the blacksmith for weapon touch ups."

"I was thinking of asking Asuramon to have a look at my armour and shield, actually," Sleipmon told him, trotting over to the violet-armoured Royal Knight. "I could use some new bolts for the Muspullsheimr too."

Craniamon gave him a short nod. "Let's go then."

Sleipmon and Craniamon were the next to leave the room, and the rest of the Royal Knights soon began to disperse after them.

Alphamon went off in search of Karatenmon to discuss what had been decided.

Magnamon, Dynasmon, and Dukemon watched as he made his way down the great hall, before they turned into a door leading to one of the side hallways. Magnamon looked up at Dynasmon as they walked down the torch-lit corridor.

"Do you think you'll be able to fight DarkKnightmon if it comes to that?" he asked him.

"I'll have to," Dynasmon answered. "We may have been friends once, but not anymore. He crossed the line when he betrayed us, and he crossed it again when he took Omegamon. There won't be any holding back this time."

"Except if the fight breaks out in the middle of Lupolford," Dukemon pointed out.

"Yeah, except that…" Dynasmon complied, sighing.

"Good luck all the same," Magnamon said. "Hopefully you guys will be able to rescue Omegamon and OuRyuumon without having to fight him."

"Yeah, I guess so…" Dynasmon responded. "To be honest, I'd just like this to be over with once and for all."

"I do too, but we can't rush things," the golden knight explained. "Especially not with DarkKnightmon."

"On the other hand, the more time we give him to strategize, the harder it'll be for us," Dukemon countered.

"I guess there's that argument," Magnamon admitted.

"So, if I have to chance to take him down, do I take it?" Dynasmon asked.

"Your call, but the priority is to rescue Omegamon and OuRyuumon, right?" Dukemon said to him.

"Yeah, okay," the bulky dragon man replied. "Anyways… want to go to the leisure room until the kitty calls me for the strategy meeting?"

"Sure thing," Dukemon said with a grin. "Just don't go into the meeting angry if I kick your ass at darts."

* * *

><p>The rain fell in torrents across the grassy landscape as three figures made their way down a path to a small, wayside town.<p>

DarkKnightmon lead the way through the grey haze of water pellets cascading from the dark clouds overhead. The rain drenched his black mantle and trickled down his jagged armour.

Behind him walked MirageGaogamon, who was similarly soaked and looking none-too-happy about it. Trailing him was Omegamon Zwart, who looked at the town ahead of them suspiciously.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked DarkKnightmon, looking past MirageGaogamon to the leading Digimon.

"We need a place to stay for the night," DarkKnightmon insisted, entering the town and making his way towards the nearby inn. "Unless you want to sleep in the rain or, more importantly, out in the open where the Knights' scouts will be able to spot us."

Omegamon Zwart nodded, although he still had doubts.

DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon, and Omegamon Zwart stopped in front of the door to the inn. The doors were big in order to accommodate larger Digimon. Orange light could be seen through the obscured windows and loud, raucous chatter could be heard inside. DarkKnightmon turned to MirageGaogamon.

"We had better take on alternate forms," he told him.

"Understood, Sir," MirageGaogamon answered, closing his eyes. His armoured, azure form became engulfed in light and he shrunk in size a little bit. He turned into a blue-furred wolfman Digimon garbed in white and black clothing. Over his shoulder was a large red belt that was quickly buffeted by rain drops.

DarkKnightmon observed his MachGaogamon form for a moment. "MachGaogamon should be less conspicuous," he said before becoming engulfed in light himself. "Xros Open."

His bulky, knightly form split into two, separating into two separate entities: SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon.

SkullKnightmon landed at the base of the door and looked up at MachGaogamon. "Shall we?" he asked him.

MachGaogamon nodded and walked to the door, pushing it open. He walked inside and made his way over to the front counter.

SkullKnightmon began walking after him. "Come along, DeadlyAxemon," he said to the bladed monster next to him.

"Got it," DeadlyAxemon responded, sliding alongside him into the inn, out of the rain.

Omegamon Zwart walked after them. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a poster on the wall of the tavern. It was a 'wanted' poster with a well-drawn picture of DarkKnightmon on it, promising a reward for useful information about him. He made a mental note to get rid of that later.

SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon stopped beside MachGaogamon and looked up at the inn desk.

"Two medium-sized double rooms, please," MachGaogamon told the innkeeper.

The Grizzmon innkeeper stood on his hind legs and looked the group over, particularly finding Omegamon Zwart curious. "Sure thing… Any special considerations needed?"

"No, thank you," SkullKnightmon answered. "Can we have a breakfast included, as well?"

"'Course. No problem," the Grizzmon said, meandering over to get them their keys to their rooms. "You'll have rooms 17 and 18." He made his way back and placed the keys on the desk before marking the new guests down. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," SkullKnightmon courteously replied, bowing his short, stocky body slightly.

He looked to the others and they began to head up the staircase to their rooms.

"Think they'll recognize us?" DeadlyAxemon asked as he climbed the staircase, behind SkullKnightmon.

"Doubtful," SkullKnightmon replied. "They would likely only consider us if they were actively looking."

"Let's hope so," Omegamon Zwart said shortly as they reached the second level.

The group of four began to walk down the hallway towards their rooms. "Who's rooming with whom?" MachGaogamon asked, glancing at SkullKnightmon.

"I will be staying with DeadlyAxemon," SkullKnightmon told him, gesturing to the big, metal demon beside him.

"Naturally," DeadlyAxemon added, glancing over his shoulder at MachGaogamon.

"You two will be fine together, I take it," SkullKnightmon said, glancing at MachGaogamon and Omegamon Zwart.

"Yes sir," MachGaogamon responded dutifully.

"Fine by me," Omegamon Zwart complied.

"Good…" SkullKnightmon stopped in front of his room and looked to MachGaogamon to unlock it.

MachGaogamon put the key in the lock and twisted it, unlocking the door. He pushed it open and lead the way inside. SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon followed. Omegamon Zwart entered last and closed the door behind him.

It was a small room with two beds on each side. Between the two beds was a table with a candle, which MachGaogamon went to light. The rain pounded the window and obscured the outside from their view.

"Why didn't Dorbickmon come again, Sir?" MachGaogamon asked, side-glancing at SkullKnightmon.

"Because his abilities are unsuitable for this particular mission, especially if this rain keeps up," SkullKnightmon replied. "Besides, he said he had other things to do."

"It's not like you to let him take liberties, Sir," the wolf man pointed out.

"The former was more important than the latter, Captain," the short knight spoke. "There is also the fact that I don't trust OuRyuumon alone for too long."

MachGaogamon nodded. "I understand. So, what is this mission, exactly?"

"I want to test the Royal Knights' current battle strength," SkullKnightmon explained.

"What do you propose?" Omegamon Zwart asked. "I already know their general numbers and how they operate."

"I would rather test them in actual combat," SkullKnightmon replied. "It's good to see how they react on the defensive, in response to a surprise attack. It's also a good chance to deliver a blow to the Order's morale."

"By attacking the Royal Knights' castle directly," DeadlyAxemon said with a smirk, already knowing SkullKnightmon's plan.

"That's… a bold plan," MachGaogamon said with surprise. "The headquarters is a fortress…"

"We don't have to take the castle," SkullKnightmon assured him. "We just have to deliver a solid blow to them and then retreat when the tide begins to turn. A simple hit-and-retreat attack. If we strike right at their heart, they will see that they're not invincible and more doubt will grow in their minds. They couldn't protect their own knights. We will show them that they can't even protect their home." SkullKnightmon turned and looked at Omegamon Zwart. "Or their honour as Royal Knights."

Behind his helmet, SkullKnightmon smiled darkly.

"Soon, they will realize that they cannot protect a _single_ thing…" He closed his eyes. "And that… _that_ will be the end of the Royal Knights."


	31. Chapter 22: The Gathering Storm

(Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 22. Good news: I have the rest of my story planned out. Now all that's left is writing it. September is fast approaching, but I'm going to try my best to find a decent balance between writing and coursework. Anyways, I'm excited for finishing this off. Less than nine chapters left. Enjoy and let me know what you think.)

**Chapter 22: The Gathering Storm**

It was mid morning. An expanse pallid grey spread across the sky. The rain had continued into the next day, although it seemed to have let up considerably by then. The droplets were fewer and more dispersed. It was just a light shower, so Digimons' views were no longer obstructed by the previously dense rain. That said, the dark clouds in the distance suggested that this was only a temporary respite.

Three Digimon were crouched underneath a large tree with a broad, thick, umbrella-like canopy. It stood on top of a small, grassy hill. From under it, DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon, and Omegamon Zwart observed the Royal Knights' headquarters in the far distance. They could see the faraway forms of guards doing their rounds on the walls, as well as the occasional scout leaving the castle's airspace. They made sure to keep hidden whenever a scout flew too close.

"Are you sure about this, Sir DarkKnightmon?" MirageGaogamon asked, turning his head to look the shadowy knight beside him. "Won't attacking them put them on their guard?"

"They are already on their guard," was his reply. "We cannot afford to let them have a chance to compose themselves."

MirageGaogamon frowned and looked over at the distant castle. "Yes, but…"

DarkKnightmon glanced over at him. "Now is no time to be getting sentimental, MirageGaogamon," he told him. "If you are having doubts, you should say so now, otherwise you will end up being a burden to yourself as well as to me. You will only get yourself hurt, going into battle with a clouded heart. Alphamon has proved that recently."

"It isn't that, Sir, honest," the lupine warrior assured him. "It's just that the rain and humidity will dampen the effect of my Full Moon Blaster. I won't be operating at full combat efficiency."

"You will still be able to do enough damage, especially at a closer distance," DarkKnightmon explained.

"Right…" MirageGaogamon replied, although frowning a bit.

"There is no room for hesitation," Omegamon Zwart told him.

"So, you have no problem attacking your former friends?" the azure-armoured warrior asked him sceptically.

"Not at all," Omegamon Zwart spoke decisively. His red eyes narrowed. "Alphamon turned on me. He will pay."

MirageGaogamon eyed him cautiously before turning back to DarkKnightmon. "What do we do if the Royal Knights mobilize against us?"

"Depending on their numbers, retreat," DarkKnightmon replied. "We don't want to get into a battle of attrition right on their doorstep."

"Why don't we just use the mercenary forces that you hired for this?" MirageGaogamon asked curiously.

"We want this to be a surprise attack," DarkKnightmon responded. "There is no way for a force of that size to attack covertly, and if they attempted an all-out assault, they would be decimated from the Royal Knights and their defences."

"Understood," MirageGaogamon replied, knowing from experience the capabilities of the Royal Knights' Defence Forces.

"Look," Omegamon Zwart suddenly spoke, narrowing his eyes. "To the left of the castle, in the air."

DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon turned their heads and looked to where the former Royal Knight indicated. They saw four figures in the distance. Three were flying and the fourth was standing on the largest one's back.

"Dynasmon, UlforceVeedramon, Sleipmon, and Craniamon," Omegamon Zwart said coldly, recognizing the four Royal Knights as they flew away from the castle.

"Where are they off to, I wonder?" DarkKnightmon asked with a small smirk.

"You don't think they've spotted Dorbickmon, do you?" MirageGaogamon questioned with perpetual pessimism about the draconic mercenary.

"I doubt it," the dark knight replied. "He wouldn't be so careless as to get spotted."

"I wonder…" the former Captain muttered to himself.

"They are most likely responding to a large bandit attack, if four of them are going at once," DarkKnightmon said. "It's fortunate for us that there are now, at most, only six Royal Knights stationed inside the headquarters.

"When do we attack?" Omegamon Zwart asked pointedly.

"Soon," DarkKnightmon replied succinctly. He gripped the Twin Spear tightly in his hand. "Now, let's see how you react, Alphamon…"

* * *

><p>As Dynasmon flapped his broad, violet wings, beads of rainwater flew off of them. The only sound he could hear apart from the rhythmic beating of his and UlforceVeedramon's wings was that of the falling rain splashing against their armour and the grass and trees below.<p>

He led the team of himself, UlforceVeedramon, Sleipmon, and Craniamon north, towards Lupolford, where they were to perform their impromptu inspection. The rain slid down the gaps in his armour, onto his pale purple scales, causing them to cling to his armour's interior uncomfortably.

He turned his horned head and looked over his shoulder at his team. UlforceVeedramon flew right behind him at a casual glide. He knew that Ulfoce could fly much faster, but he wanted to keep pace with Dynasmon and Sleipmon.

Behind him was Sleipmon, who used the golden, metal wings on his back on flight. Sleipmon was a comparatively slow flier, but his land speed more than made up for it. The reason he and Craniamon took to the air was because they knew that they had to pass over a forest for the most direct route to Lupolford. Dynasmon couldn't help but smirk at Sleipmon, whose thick, purple mane of hair, ornamental waist sash, and white, puffy tail were soaked with rain, causing them to droop amusingly.

Finally, Craniamon balanced on Sleipmon's back, standing rigidly with folded arms. Likewise, the rain soaked his ornamental loin cloth and the tufts of purple hair decorating the spikes on his helmet. Despite the rain soaking Sleipmon's back, he kept his balance surprisingly well.

"How are you guys doing back there?" Dynasmon asked them, still looking behind him.

"I dunno," UlforceVeedramon replied, grinning and looking at the other two. "Depends how long until the rain starts to make Craniamon's purple suit stink."

Craniamon narrowed his dark, red eyes and rubbed his abdomen, which was covered by the thick, skin-tight suit that he wore under his armour. "Yours isn't much better," he countered, leering at UlforceVeedramon.

Dynasmon smirked and shook his head. "Nobody needs to stop for a bathroom break?"

"No," Craniamon said decisively.

"Speak for all of us, why don't ya?" UlforceVeedramon joked.

"_Do_ you?"

"Well, no," UlforceVeedramon admitted.

"I'm fine too," Sleipmon replied. "It's only another hour or so until we get there, anyways."

Craniamon glanced at UlforceVeedramon. "You _are_ going to treat this inspection seriously, right? Omegamon and OuRyuumon have been captured; this might be our only chance to rescue them."

"I always do," UlforceVeedramon assured him. "I know it's serious, but I don't see the point in travelling with a dark cloud over our heads all the time. It just stresses everybody else out."

"I guess that's true," Dynasmon conceded.

"And what about you?" UlforceVeedramon retorted playfully, looking at Craniamon. "You're not just coming along so you can pick a fight with DarkKnightmon?"

"Tch," Craniamon scoffed. "That's secondary to the mission. We need to get our friends back."

"That's the right idea," Sleipmon said, glancing over his shoulder to the knight on his back.

"Looks like we're all on the same page," Dynasmon said.

UlforceVeedramon kept his arms under the umbrella of his wings so that his V-Bracelets would be shielded from the rain while he fiddled with them. He carefully fine-tuned their settings for optimal output. "Left one, Tensegrity Shield… minimal diffusion rate…" he muttered to himself as he worked. "20% to shield thickness… 100% beam output…"

Ignoring Ulforce's mumblings, Craniamon looked over to Dynasmon. "This spy – ShadowWereGarurumon - where's he going to meet us?" he asked.

"Inside the market. He'll approach us," Dynasmon answered.

"Why did Karatenmon suggest him? He's kind of a smart ass," the violet knight asked.

"For one thing, he fits in," Dynasmon explained. "Lupolford mostly has canine Digimon living there. The key to keeping a low profile is looking like you belong there."

"Is that something you learned from your days as a mercenary?" Craniamon inquired.

Dynasmon smirked, despite the rain running down his face. "Yeah, it is. KaiserGreymon even gave me acting lessons once. But it's really just common sense when you think about it."

"Yeah, I guess. Just as long as he doesn't blow his cover by getting into another tavern brawl."

"He wouldn't compromise the mission like that," Sleipmon assured him. "Not one of such sensitivity and importance."

"He better hope he doesn't," Craniamon said curtly.

"Anyways…" Sleipmon spoke, hoping to shift the subject. "How do you guys think Omegamon is doing?"

"If I know Omegamon, he'll be fine," Dynasmon responded confidently. "He may be shy and soft-spoken, but he's got balls of chrome digizoid."

"Does he? At least he's got good protection where it counts," UlforceVeeedramon teased.

Dynasmon managed a smile at his words, but didn't directly respond. "But, yeah. Whatever DarkKnightmon throws at Omegamon, he'll be able to handle it."

"And whatever DarkKnightmon throws, OuRyuumon will probably throw it right back at him. He's a feisty son of a bitch," UlforceVeedramon remarked. "So, straight to the town hall once we get there, right?"

"Right," Dynasmon said. "Everybody be prepared."

"I'm always prepared," Craniamon answered. "We don't need Duftmon's tactics to complete a mission."

"I'm with you there," Dynasmon agreed. "This is one of those situations where we have to think on our feet."

"Don't let Duftmon hear you guys say that, unless you want an hour long lecture," UlforceVeedramon told them. "'The Importance of Tactics' by a university-educated know-it-all."

"Hopefully this will be a straightforward mission and not a trap," Sleipmon added.

Dynasmon nodded and kept flying through the cascading showers. "We'll see what happens when we get there and talk to ShadowWereGarurumon."

* * *

><p>Dukemon walked with Magnamon through the castle grounds. They walked past one of the barracks, the blacksmith's, and the armoury, among several other buildings residing within the castle walls. The rain continued to pour down, so Dukemon held the Aegis shield over their heads like an umbrella. The earthy smell of wet stone drifted into their nostrils as they went.<p>

Magnamon looked up at Dukemon, ignoring the sounds of the rain drops pelting against the metal, dome-shaped shield above them. "-ou think we should ask the Warrior Ten to collaborate with us in trying to subdue DarkKnightmon?"

"I don't know," Dukemon responded, walking along the wet, stone street, untouched by the rain. "They have their own things to deal with. Besides, DarkKnightmon is a Royal Knight problem."

"I suppose, but KaiserGreymon will want answers. Remember, DarkKnightmon beat PileVolcamon and AncientIrismon fairly badly when he first escaped. And once he hears that there's a problem, he'll want to help," Magnamon reasoned. "You know how stubborn he is, and he has a knight complex to boot."

"He wouldn't like it if we started fighting his archrival without his permission," Dukemon said. "He'll just have to deal with it."

Magnamon nodded. "I guess I wouldn't want them getting hurt for our mistakes," he agreed. "We should have seen the signs before DarkKnightmon turned on us."

"Can't turn back the clock, Magnamon," Dukemon said as they walked by one of the watch towers.

"You're right," the short dragon knight conceded. He fiddled with one of his gold arm bracers as he walked with Dukemon. "So… how's Alphamon holding up?"

"He's doing better now…" Dukemon said, frowning and looking down at Magnamon. "All of these things DarkKnightmon's doing have hit him pretty hard, but he's doing his best not to let it get to him."

"Poor guy… Two of his best friends in trouble like they are…" Magnamon said, sighing a bit. "So, he's persevering?"

"Like we all are," Dukemon answered, turning his head forwards. He was unable to tell Magnamon what Alphamon's relationship with OuRyuumon really was. It made him uncomfortable, lying by omission to Magnamon. Dukemon was an honest and straightforward Digimon, and keeping secrets from his friends wasn't something he felt comfortable with. However, he did promise Alphamon, and he already felt like he violated Alphamon's trust by telling Grani.

"Good," Magnamon replied, sighing a little. "But I can't help but feel like there's something else bothering him. I know Alphamon and I think there's more to it than just worry."

Dukemon did his best not to wince or appear uneasy. "You don't think he'd be upset over what happened with Omegamon and OuRyuumon?"

"No, it's not that… I know he would," Magnamon insisted. "It's just that… - I don't know – with the way he's acting, I think there's something else bothering him too. I think I'm going to ask him later."

"If you think that's a good idea," Dukemon answered, trying to be neutral on the matter.

"I do. I don't want him bottling things up if there's something troubling him" the gold armoured Royal Knight explained. He turned his head and glanced up at Dukemon again. "Do you happen to know what's bothering him, Dukemon?"

Dukemon averted his eyes. "I, uh…"

As he tried to think of a reply, an aerial creature cut through the rain and swooped down towards them. Both Royal Knights turned and looked, recognizing the large, crimson, soaking, draconic figure that flew to a halt in front of them. Zero ARMS: Grani hovered in front of them, the rain running down his metal body and dripping off his pointed bits such as his beak, wingtips, arms, and tail.

"Dukemon, Magnamon," he greeted ceremoniously, although sounding out of breath.

"Grani?" Dukemon asked. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to still be on patrol?"

"You're scouting in this weather?" Magnamon asked incredulously.

"I was trying to. Visibility is poor, so I returned," Grani explained.

"You and your squadron have really been working hard," Magnamon noted, placing his claws on his hips.

"It's our duty," Grani dismissively said. "Not one second is wasted if it's used searching for our comrades."

"Always the professional," Dukemon joked.

"I wish I could say the same about you, Dukemon," Grani dryly responded, floating forwards so that his head was shielded from the rain by the Aegis.

Dukemon responded by flicking Grani's beak with his fingers.

Magnamon chuckled a bit. "So… Have you found any leads?" he asked curiously.

"Indeterminate," Grani answered. "There are three _potential_ leads; I have sent scouts to investigate further, but it's unknown whether they will amount to anything. There was a rumour suggesting that three shady-looking figures were spotted around an abandoned tunnel outpost within the Southern Dragon Mountains, another suggesting that they saw a Dorbickmon in Lupolford, and, finally, one of my scouts claimed that she saw a dark knight-looking Digimon in Falconhead… though what she was doing there when she was supposed to be in Cloudspire, I'm not sure. Either way, they're all worth following up on."

"Lupolford?" Dukemon asked, looking at Grani with a surprised expression. "Then we know. It's Lupolford. They're definitely there."

Grani couldn't help but stare at Dukemon blankly. "…How can you be so confident?" he asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Magnamon questioned him. "Yesterday, Karatenmon intercepted a messenger from Lupolford. The messenger had a message from Wolfmon requesting that we accelerate our inspection to today. It sounded suspicious so Karatenmon sent a spy up there yesterday. We sent a team of our own up this morning to contact him. We think that Wolfmon is sending us a hidden message."

Grani's eyes narrowed uncharacteristically. "What?!" He looked at Dukemon. "And why didn't you… That… That Karatenmon…!" he spoke angrily. "Karatenmon has absolutely no respect for regulations, procedure and protocol! He should have told me about this; this is a scouting matter, not a spying one. He undermines me again and again. I don't know how he achieved the rank of Captain with such a nonchalant, carefree approach to everything."

"You two still don't see eye to eye, I see," Dukemon said with an amused grin at Grani's ranting. "And don't knock it. We still get the job done, even with that approach."

"I didn't mean you, but I suppose a bit of discipline wouldn't go amiss for either of you," the Zero ARMS remarked cattily.

"I think both Karatenmon and I have both been practicing discipline enough in our lives that we realise that it's okay to take it easy now and then. He is a former ninja, after all. He must have some, especially since he taught others the way of the ninja as well. Besides, Alphamon wouldn't have made him Captain of the covert Stealth Forces if he didn't trust him," Dukemon insisted.

"That may be," Grani half-conceded, "but life is easier for everybody if things are done consistently and following procedure. I don't like being left out of the loop in my own affairs. Karatenmon is certainly going to hear about this."

Magnamon looked at Dukemon. "Will the Recon Forces and Stealth Forces ever get along?" he asked him with a sigh.

"There's a reason they don't sit together in the cafeteria," Dukemon replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"I've done my best to accommodate them," Grani insisted with an indignant tone lacing his calm voice. "Anyways, you believe that DarkKnightmon is hiding out in Lupolford? In plain sight?"

"With what you just told us about what your scout heard, I'm pretty certain," Dukemon answered.

"It could be a coincidence… or a trap," Grani suggested.

"The others are prepared for that," Magnamon explained.

Dukemon place his free hand on his hip as the other one continued to hold the shield over their heads. "I wish we could contact them with this new information."

The shorter dragon man shook his head. "They have a few hours head start on us. We can't catch up with them. Hopefully, they figure it out on their own…" Magnamon explained, frowning a bit.

As Dukemon began to nod, a high-pitched, effeminate-sounding voice rang out through the rain. "Grani, Sir! Grani, Sir!" the voice called over excitedly.

The two knights and Grani turned towards the noise. A golden jet-like Digimon was cutting through the rain towards them. As it descended, the rain-soaked metal of its gold body shimmered in the dim, morning light. The Sparrowmon had two short, white arms just in front of its wings. Eagerly clenching its hands, which were covered by wet, grey gloves, the Digimon decelerated the thruster engines of its body and pulled up, slowing to a stop in front of them. Upon closer inspection, it looked to be about half Grani's size.

Inquisitively, Magnamon looked at Dukemon and then at Sparrowmon, who saluted them before turning to Grani.

"Grani, Sir!" Sparrowmon said in a high voice that made it hard to tell what exactly its gender was.

Grani turned to his subordinate. "Oh, Sparrowmon. You're back from Lupolford. Do you have something to report?"

The jet Digimon nodded enthusiastically, looking up with a white face, brown helmet, and wide, honest, blue eyes. "Yes, Captain! I followed up on that rumour and found out that it really _was_ that Dorbickmon guy we're looking for!"

"It was? You're sure?" Grani asked.

"Pretty positive!" Sparrowmon eagerly insisted. "It looked just like the picture and I've got pretty good eyesight. The scars he had matched."

"What can you tell me?" the captain of the Reconnaissance Squadron questioned.

"I saw him in Lupolford heading towards the town hall. He didn't see me, so I flew in closer and followed him from above. I watched him go inside the town hall. I went over to the building and tried to look through the windows. That was then that ShadowWereGarurumon jerk from the Stealth Forces surprised me and started giving me attitude," Sparrowmon said with a huffy sneer. "He said that he already checked the place and that there was no way to get in, so I should just go home."

"Of course…" Grani spoke with dry exasperation. "My apologies, Sparrowmon. Nobody informed me that a spy was going ahead to Lupolford. I should have been more aware."

"It's not your fault, Captain!" Sparrowmon reassured him hastily. "Those stealth guys never tell anybody what they're doing. They're so sneaky… I can't stand it sometimes." The jet Digimon then seemed to remember that Dukemon and Magnamon were nearby. "Uh, I mean, not that that's anybody's fault. I mean, I know they're spies so it's kinda their job and everything, but..."

"Don't worry about it," Magnamon explained, scratching his cheek with a claw. "We know how it is."

Grani glanced back at Sparrowmon. "Anyways, you did a good job, Sparrowmon. I look forwards to reading your report."

Sparrowmon smiled broadly and seemed to blush despite the rain trickling down the bird's white cheeks. "Thanks, Captain!" the jet Digimon exclaimed graciously. "I'll write the heck out of that report!"

As the Sparrowmon got ready to fly towards the main building, Grani flew in front of the scout's path, causing the Digimon to stop. "Just a second, there are some other things I want to ask."

As the two aerial Digimon spoke, Magnamon turned to Dukemon and motioned to come in close. In a whisper, he asked, "Dukemon… I've always wondered… is Sparrowmon a male or female?"

Dukemon stifled a laugh. "You mean you can't tell from the voice?" he teased in his own whisper.

Magnamon rolled his eyes, trying not to appear too sheepish. "It's a high, androgynous voice… Do _you_ know? I don't want to embarrass myself one day by calling h-… i-… Sparrowmon the wrong thing."

"Uh…" Dukemon stalled, rubbing the back of his neck when he had to admit that he didn't know, himself. "Not… exactly… Why don't you ask?"

"I can't do that!" Magnamon whispered back fiercely. "Sparrowmon's been with us for at least a year. How hurtful would it be if I told Sparrowmon that I didn't even bother to know its… their… gender?"

"Good point…" Dukemon responded in a whisper. "Maybe I'll ask Grani. He should know. That Sparrowmon has a massive crush on him; he has no idea either."

"Really?" Magnamon said, turning and looking over at the Sparrowmon. "Wouldn't that mean the Sparrowmon's a girl?"

"Not necessarily…" Dukemon said, scratching his hair. "I mean… look at RhodoKnightmon. Besides, I've seen that bird drink beer."

"So? Female Digimon can drink beer."

"I guess… but… men can like other men, too," Dukemon replied, remembering what he learned about Alphamon and OuRyuumon recently. "We don't exactly have any hard evidence either way."

"Oka- Sparrowmon's looking at us," Magnamon said, suddenly pulling away from Dukemon and smiling at the Digimon.

Sparrowmon raised an eyebrow but saluted. "Bye, Sir Dukemon, Sir Magnamon," Sparrowmon told them. The Digimon then turned to Grani. "Bye, Captain…"

"Goodbye, Sparrowmon," Grani answered courteously. "Nice work today."

Sparrowmon blushed and flew off with a tiny, embarrassed smile, soaring through the rain towards the castle.

Dukemon laughed and playfully slapped Grani on the wing when the Sparrowmon was out of sight.

Grani looked at his friend with a perplexed face. "I fail to see what's so funny. All that Sparrowmon said was that Dynasmon's team wasn't seen on the way back from Lupolford. If anything, that's a bad thing since they won't learn what we learned now."

Chuckling, Dukemon shook his head. "It's not that, you adorably oblivious thing," he told him with a wide smirk.

"What are you talking about, Dukemon?" Grani asked. He turned to Magnamon. "Do you know?"

Not wanting to get involved, Magnamon smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"You have no idea, do you?" Dukemon teased the Zero ARMS, grinning.

"Obviously not or else I wouldn't be asking you," Grani replied with some annoyance.

"Never mind…" the crimson knight assured him, waving his hand. "Anyways… Grani. Is that Sparrowmon a guy or a girl?"

Grani stared at him blankly. "…You can't tell?" he asked him.

"Well…" Dukemon replied.

"It's not exactly obvious," Magnamon added.

Grani grinned faintly. "It is to me… I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. You will have to find out on your own."

"What? Why?" Dukemon protested.

"It isn't so fun being kept in the dark, is it?" Grani told him, giving him a playful smile before flying off towards one of the window entrances of the giant building nearby.

"…Damn," Dukemon said, watching as Grani disappeared through the haze of rain. "He's too crafty for his own good sometimes."

"Oh well…" Magnamon muttered. He turned and looked at Dukemon as they began to walk towards the main building together, aiming to get out of the rain. "So, Dorbickmon's in Lupolford… Do you think DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon will be there too?"

"Maybe…" Dukemon replied. "The others will be fine. They're all capable and they're going in prepared."

"Yeah, I sure hope so," the gold knight said as they walked through the front doors into the dry entrance hall.

* * *

><p>Wolfmon walked down a hallway away from the dining room where OuRyuumon was being held. In his hands, he carried a tray of mostly eaten food. The crackle of torch flames and the drumming of the rain on the locked windows were melodious with his footsteps as he made his way towards the kitchen to dispose of the leftovers.<p>

He was nervous. The purpose of his visit to OuRyuumon wasn't only to feed him, but to tell him about his plan. He had sent a messenger to the Royal Knights to create an inspection for that day. That way, the Royal Knights would discover OuRyuumon and their hideout, and he could remain blameless since he could say that the Royal Knights were the ones who wanted to speed up the inspection, and denying their wish would make them look suspicious. He hoped that, through that plan, OuRyuumon would be freed, DarkKnightmon and his allies would be driven out, and Lupolford would be spared from destruction.

However, he realized that there was so much that could go wrong. If he was found out by the wrong people, the town would pay for it.

The mayor sighed and continued walking. He just hoped that they would arrive soon.

Wolfmon turned a corner and saw a crimson body standing in front of him, towering over the lanky Digimon.

It was Dorbickmon.

He cried out in surprise and horror and dropped the metal tray to the ground, causing fruit skins, pits, and bits of meat to go flying everywhere. Wolfmon backed up against the stone wall behind him and looked up at Dorbickmon with wide, terrified eyes. "D-Dorbickmon…"

Dorbickmon laughed and folded his arms. "Didn't mean to make you piss yourself, wolfie. I'm not that scary-lookin', am I?"

"N-No. You just startled me…" Wolfmon said, looking away from him. "I… thought you went with DarkKnightmon and the others. I didn't expect you back."

"Nah…" Dorbickmon responded. He grinned darkly. "As much as I would have liked to, I don't have the right skill set for what they want to do. Besides… I had some other business to take care of."

Wolfmon felt fear constricting his chest. Beads of sweat rolled down his arms and sides. This was the absolute last thing that he wanted. If the Royal Knights showed up while he was here, it would be a disaster. "Oh, I see…" he replied, trying not to make his anxiety obvious in his voice.

Dorbickmon looked down and lightly nudged the metal tray on the floor with his foot. "Were those for the prisoner?"

"Yes…" Wolfmon said, squatting down and gathering the items back onto tray.

As the mayor bent down, Dorbickmon narrowed his eyes at him. "So… If I went and checked on him, he'd still be there?"

Wolfmon immediately stood upright. "Of course he would!" he answered a little too quickly.

"Then why are you so damn edgy?" Dorbickmon asked, looking the mayor up and down.

"Like I said, you surprised me," Wolfmon muttered, glancing away again.

"From that? Still?" Dorbickmon questioned. He suddenly glared at him. "Bullmonshit. I can smell your sweat. There's something you're not telling me, wolfie."

"That's ridiculous!" Wolfmon protested.

"I've been a freelance mercenary long enough to know when somebody's lying to me. I've taken jobs as a bodyguard, a foot soldier, hired muscle, you name it. They all lie: my clients, my targets, and my fellow mercs. You get good at picking up on Digimons' tells. You also learn not to trust anybody…" Dorbickmon warned him. He sneered at the mayor, revealing rows of jagged dragon teeth. "And most importantly… you learn to backstab before you get backstabbed yourself."

He grabbed Wolfmon by the collar of his scarf and forced his back against the wall. "Now, it'd be in your best interest to start talking, puppy."

Wolfmon grimaced and took hold of Dorbickmon's wrist, struggling a little. "I'm… telling the truth…!"

Dorbickmon snarled and pressed him against the wall harder. "You know what happens, right? The terms of our deal?" he asked him. "You step out of line and I start smashing things. I know it's raining, but I saw that the market is still pretty crowded…"

"D-Dorbickmon, please!"

"Then talk!" Dorbickmon shouted at him.

Wolfmon shut his eyes. "I got a message from the Royal Knights! They moved their inspection to today! They'll be here any minute!" he yelled desperately.

Dorbickmon's eyes widened and he threw Wolfmon to the side, sending him crashing to the floor with a grunt. He began to storm down the hall that Wolfmon had come from. "If you tip them off, you're toast, and so is your city."

"I-I'll try not to!" Wolfmon told him, wincing a bit as he sat up. "Where are you going?!"

"Getting my safeguards ready," he replied.

With those words, Dorbickmon disappeared around a corner, leaving Wolfmon to wait and worry.

* * *

><p>After thirty minutes, the four Royal Knights arrived in Lupolford. They touched down a little ways into the entrance to the town where they were greeted by a small crowd of mostly canine Digimon. There undoubtedly would have been more if it weren't raining.<p>

Dynasmon, Sleipmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon politely made their way through the crowd, not having the luxury of time to sign autographs or speak too much with the citizens on a casual level. Before even considering asking the civilians about sightings of either their friends or foes, they needed to meet up with their spy and then go speak to Mayor Wolfmon.

"I'd be happy to sign it later, but I'm afraid we're very busy now," Sleipmon told a Sangloupmon who asked for his autograph. "I'll come find you once we're finished." When he was finished, he galloped up the stone street to catch up with the other three.

"You don't have to talk to all of them," Craniamon informed the cavalier Digimon. "Just brush past them."

"That would be rude," Sleipmon responded, "and bad for public relations."

"Who cares?" Craniamon replied tersely. "We've got more important things to think of."

The four walked past several market stalls, several of which were closed due to the inclement weather. The rain dripped off roofs of houses and buildings, and there was a dim flash of lightning in the distance.

UlforceVeedramon looked around the area. "Where is—" He paused, interrupted by the rumble of thunder. "Where is he? Should I fly around to look for him?"

"No, that would look suspicious," Dynasmon answered. "We're supposed to be here on inspection, and the chances are high that we're being watched right now."

Craniamon's red, glowing eyes scanned the vicinity carefully. "Think it's a trap?"

"It's safer to assume that than not," Sleipmon surmised, subconsciously checking the amount of crossbow bolts stored on the inside of the Niflheimr.

Dynasmon nodded and looked over his shoulder, blinking back some of the rain that got in his eyes. After doing so, he noticed a dark figure approaching them from behind. "Wait a second."

"Holy crap! The Royal Knights!" the figure said, running up to them.

A black werewolf Digimon jogged up to them with a large grin on his face. He wore green camouflaged cargo pants, which were soaked through from the heavy showers, a single brown sleeve on his left arm, and a shoulder pad and two spiked knee pads. Beads of rain dripped down his scruffy black fur as he stopped in front of them.

"Can I have your autographs?" the Digimon they recognized as ShadowWereGarurumon spoke. He gave them a swift wink to wordlessly reveal his intentions.

"Of course," Sleipmon told him, taking a pad of paper and a pencil from their spy. "You must be a big fan to come out on a day like today."

"Damn right I am," ShadowWereGarurumon replied with a grin. He walked in close to them so that they could speak more privately. He spoke to them in a whisper. "I'm pretty sure they know you're coming and that you're being watched right now."

"Is it a trap?" Dynasmon whispered to him, his eyes looking around the area without moving his head.

"Don't know," ShadowWereGarurumon answered. "Couldn't get inside the town hall; all the windows and doors were locked."

"What _do_ you know?" Craniamon asked him lowly.

"I managed to see in through one of the shutters," the spy explained. "Saw Captain OuRyuumon chained up inside. It was one of the rooms on the far side of the building."

"So we were right," UlforceVeedramon remarked, frowning as he took the paper and pencil.

"Was Omegamon there too?" Dynasmon asked.

"I didn't see 'im. Maybe he's being kept somewhere else inside," ShadowWereGarurumon replied with a shrug. "By the way, I checked one of the other windows recently and heard a lot of movement inside. I would have stayed around longer, but I'm pretty sure they were steppin' up their security."

"Anything else?" Craniamon asked, taking the pencil and paper to pretend to give his autograph.

The black werewolf Digimon nodded. "That Dorbickmon's definitely in there. Dunno about the MirageGaogamon or DarkKnightmon, though. Haven't seen anything from either of them. None of the people I talked to around here has seen them either. I guess they're being pretty smart about going out in the open."

"Which either means they're inside or they went out…" Dynasmon deduced, scratching his chin.

"Uh… Yeah. No kidding," UlforceVeedramon said with a laugh. "They're either here or they're not. Did you figure that out all by yourself?"

"…Shut up, Ulforce," Dynasmon said, glaring at him and blushing a bit.

Sleipmon finished his autograph and handed it to their spy. "Here're the autographs."

"Hey! Thanks a lot! This is friggin' awesome!" ShadowWereGarurumon said audibly, taking the piece of paper that was getting progressively wetter. "It's a real honour!"

"Think nothing of it," UlforceVeedramon told him.

"We have to get going now," Dynasmon explained, patting his shoulder.

"Okay, thanks again!" he said aloud. He then whispered. "And nail those bastards for me."

With that, the black, canine Digimon walked off, back towards the markets. The four Royal Knights looked at each other and turned around, proceeding towards the town hall that stood at the end of the large, cobbled street. They walked past several Digimon who ventured the rain to see them up close. The Royal Knights just hoped that this main street wouldn't turn into a battle zone. There wouldn't be enough time to evacuate the Digimon if something went wrong inside, and they couldn't do it beforehand without signalling to their enemies that this was something more than a routine inspection.

The harsh, metallic clamour of their twelve feet hitting the wet cobblestone sounded out as they neared their destination. Small streams of water ran under their feet through the furrows around the individual cobbles. The Royal Knights approached the ostentatious statue of MetalGarurumon X, which stood in the courtyard in front of the town hall. Without making it obvious that they were searching, the four gazed around the area, trying to see potential threats through the cascade.

"Should one of us stay on guard out here?" Craniamon asked them in a low voice, cracking his knuckles.

"No, let's all go in," Dynasmon responded. "We shouldn't divide our forces if there's a chance DarkKnightmon's in there."

Sleipmon nodded. "We can have a four point defence that way."

"Fine, but we have me for that," Craniamon remarked. "I have the strongest shield out of all of you."

"You _still_ think the Avalon's stronger than my Tensegrity Shield?" UlforceVeedramon asked with a competitive smirk.

"I don't _think_…" the dark violet knight replied confidently.

"That's for sure," UlforceVeedramon said with a small chuckle.

"Now's not the time for that, guys," Dynasmon said firmly, walking past the statue, towards the stone steps leading up to the door.

"Okay. Sorry," UlforceVeedramon apologized, following after him. He looked at the town hall and noticed something. "No guards."

"You're right," Dynasmon said, frowning as he approached the front door. He put his thick claws on the handle and pushed forwards strongly. To his surprise, the door didn't budge outside of a slight tremor. "It's locked."

Sleipmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon stepped up behind him. "Looks like they don't want visitors," Sleipmon observed.

"We know why, too," the cobalt dragon Digimon said.

"Shh. I hear something," Dynasmon hushed them. He pressed his head against the door and listened. He could hear muffled voices talking inside.

Although Dynasmon couldn't make out anything audible, he at least knew there was somebody there. He stood up straight and raised his hand, rapping his knuckles against the thick, wooden door incredibly loudly. The muffled voices stopped suddenly.

"Hello?" Dynasmon boomed loud enough to make sure they could hear him. "It's Dynasmon of the Royal Knights! I'm here with Sleipmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon! We have an inspection scheduled for today, remember?!"

There were hushed voices inside suddenly. After a few moments, a voice called out. "Just a minute, please!"

"Alright, but we're getting soaked out here!" UlforceVeedramon reminded him.

Dynasmon looked over his shoulder at the other three. "Be ready for anything," he whispered.

They nodded and waited for the door to be opened.

After another twenty seconds, the sound of locks clicking could finally be heard and the door swung open.

Standing there was Mayor Wolfmon, looking at the Royal Knights with a nervous smile. "Very sorry, Sirs. I didn't realize it was locked. Please come inside and out of the rain."

"Sorry if we tread water inside," Sleipmon pre-emptively apologized.

"Strange for it to be locked in the middle of the day," UlforceVeedramon said, moving around Dynasmon's wing and stepping inside. "Especially when you're expecting visitors."

Wolfmon nodded and backed up to allow all of them to enter. "I'm sorry. I only just got up recently. I've been feeling a bit sick."

"Sick with worry?" Craniamon asked pointedly, leering at him with his intimidating red eyes.

"P-Pardon?"

"Many Digimon get worried about the Royal Knights coming to inspect their affairs. Guilty or not," Craniamon explained.

"Y-Yes, well… I've got nothing to hide…" Wolfmon reassured them. "I'm not like Anubismon."

"We know you're not," Sleipmon told him. "All the same, we have to be sure. That's why we made our inspection sooner. I hope it's not a problem."

"Not at all. Like I said, I have nothing to hide," the mayor explained, although glancing over his shoulder, behind him. Although he was incredibly nervous, he was at least relieved that the Royal Knights seemed to be playing along with the lie that they were the ones who changed the date and not him. "Is that why there are so many of you too?"

"Yeah. Try not to take it personally," UlforceVeedramon said, walking past him and towards one of the two doors that lead into the great hall.

Wolfmon stiffened up and went to follow him on pure reflex, as if hoping to get in front of UlforceVeedramon to try and stop him from seeing what was in the room. Although he was the one who sent them a subtle distress signal, he was in an incredibly precarious situation, and there were so many things that could go wrong. He couldn't let it seem like he was trying to help the Royal Knights or else Dorbickmon would start wreaking havoc. Dorbickmon knew that they were coming. The last thing that Wolfmon wanted was a huge fight in the middle of the town hall.

To his anxiety, UlforceVeedramon opened the door and stepped inside the great hall. As the other three knights and Wolfmon walked in as well, he looked around. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was entirely empty except for the ornate throne.

"I thought I heard you speaking to somebody when we first arrived," Dynasmon said, looking around as well.

"Oh…" Wolfmon said, tensing up a bit. He fidgeted as he tried to think up a lie. "Oh yes. That was the custodian."

Craniamon narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "If that was the custodian, then how did he get inside? You said you forgot to unlock the door."

Wolfmon began to sweat inside his suit again. "Err… Yeah. That's because… he has a key. He works on the night shift, so he has to let himself in and out while I'm asleep. He must have locked it afterwards to… keep the rain out."

The Royal Knights looked at each other with unconvinced looks. Without another word, they walked down the long, great hall, treading water across the marble floor. They looked around the area suspiciously and allowed Wolfmon to follow behind them.

"Awfully suspicious, isn't he?" Craniamon whispered to the others. "I don't like it. He's setting us up."

"We don't know that for sure," Sleipmon whispered back.

"Either way, just play along for now," Dynasmon told them quietly. "We need to get to OuRyuumon."

"Wait a second," UlforceVeedramon said out loud. His red eyes narrowed and he gazed at something on the far end of the hall.

Wolfmon turned to look at what UlforceVeedramon noticed and his heart sank. It was the dark rift. He had completely forgotten about it during the rush of the past half hour. While he didn't have anything to do with it necessarily, he realized how bad it would look to the Royal Knights. He had heard that a dark rift had caused problems in Dusk Forest a little while ago, and he also knew that they were related to DarkKnightmon in some way.

In a panic, he turned to the Royal Knights, walking ahead and trying to position himself in front of UlforceVeedramon. "Why don't we head up to—"

Before he could finish, the swift Royal Knight flapped his wings and sped past him. He stopped at the end of the great hall in a matter of milliseconds. UlforceVeedramon stared at the fissure and watched dark data waft up from it. "It's a dark rift!" he called to them.

"What?!" Sleipmon demanded.

"Don't get too close to it!" Craniamon told him sharply.

Dynasmon swerved around and grabbed Wolfmon by the arm. "You have some explaining to do, Mayor," he told him, glaring at him with intimidating crimson eyes.

Wolfmon's eyes widened with horror and he stared up at the bulky Royal Knight helplessly. "I-I-I have nothing to do with that! It just cropped up several weeks ago!" he stammered.

"And you didn't think to report it to us?!" Dynasmon asked in a dangerous growl.

"I couldn't!" Wolfmon yelled, shutting his eyes as if everything was crashing down before him. "I'm sorry! I had no choice!"

Craniamon hissed and accessed the data of his black digizoid armour to summon the Claiohm Solais double spear and the Avalon shield in his hands. "What did you do, wolf?" he demanded icily. "Is this a trap?"

"No! Nothing!" Wolfmon pleaded, bringing his hands together and bowing his head. "I didn't want any of this! I had to go along with it or else Dorbickmon would destroy the town! I'm sorry!"

"Where is he?" Dynasmon asked him.

"He's with OuRyuumon! Down the right door! The dining room at the end of the hall! DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon are out, but there are more in the building!"

"Get out of here! Go!" Dynasmon told him, letting go of the mayor and pushing him in the direction of the entrance.

The Wolfmon complied and ran down the great hall with fear and guilt welling inside of him.

"You heard him!" Dynasmon told the others, running up the marble steps and charging over to the door in question.

Craniamon gripped his spear tightly and ran after him. Sleipmon soon followed, galloping swiftly while loading a bolt into the Muspellsheimr. As soon as UlforceVeedramon was done activating the Ulforce Sabre on his right V-Bracelet, he dashed after the three, taking up the rear.

The four Royal Knights ran down the torch-lit hallway as fast as they could. They looked down the branching out hallways as they passed them to make sure they weren't going to be ambushed.

It was a long hallway, but they could see the large, wooden door at the end of it. Dynasmon grunted and sped up, clenching his fists as they closed in on it.

"I've got this. Get on my ass," he told the three behind him. He charged the door and coiled his fist back, winding it up for a massive punch.

He released a sharp growl and drove his fist clear through the door, following up with his other set of claws. Dynasmon burst through the door and tore it apart as he ran into the room. Sleipmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon were right behind him, charging into the room after him.

"Don't move a damn muscle!" a voice snarled at them.

The four Royal Knights stopped to take in their surroundings and locate the voice. In the middle of the room was OuRyuumon, standing with his hands bound above his head by a chain leading up to the ceiling. The next thing they noticed was the red and silver hand covering the end of OuRyuumon's snout, keeping his mouth closed so that he didn't call out. Right below his chin was a sword of violet flames, hovering over OuRyuumon's throat.

They saw that a crimson dragon Digimon was standing behind OuRyuumon, making the serpent's back press against his chest while pushing his bound wings to the side. Dorbickmon was using OuRyuumon as both a shield and a hostage.

"Move it, guys! Hurry!" Dorbickmon ordered.

The Royal Knights saw many other Digimon standing in the room around them, moving quickly and circling around them from all sides. Among these Digimon were a BlackWarGreymon, some KaiserLeomon, two Reichmon, a DarkSuperStarmon, a black Deathmon, a Darkdramon. They appeared to be mercenaries. The Royal Knights backed towards one another and readied their weapons and attacks, prepared to defend themselves.

OuRyuumon, while relieved to see the Royal Knights, realized that this was a very bad situation for everybody. He released a muffled snarl against Dorbickmon's scaly palm and felt beads of sweat roll down his face and neck from both the heat of the sword and the tense situation.

The Royals Knights found themselves surrounded by the mercenaries on all sides. They pressed their backs against one another's as they made sure that none of them could attack them from behind, each knight ensuring that they had the others' backs. They looked between Dorbickmon and the mercenaries with angry glares.

"The Cimmerian Adventurers…" Dynasmon muttered, recognizing the mercenary team around them. The palms of his hands brimmed with elemental power and his shoulders flickered with energy as Wyvern threatened to come out.

Craniamon narrowed his eyes and lifted his shield higher while holding his spear loosely in his other hand. He leered at the Darkdramon opposite to him. "Another Darkdramon, huh?"

UlforceVeedramon's laser sword droned and pulsated as he raised it in front of him. He glared over at Dorbickmon, as did Sleipmon, who aimed his crossbow very precisely at Dorbickmon.

"Lower your weapons, Royal Knights…" Dorbickmon warned them with an adrenaline-filled sneer. "Or this guy gets it."

OuRyuumon tried to yell out to the Royal Knights and gave them a look that said he'd kill them if they threw down their arms.

"You're bluffing," Dynasmon said, raising his claws higher as the mercenaries took a menacing step towards them.

"Try me…" Dorbickmon retorted, holding the Tyrant Collbrande closer to OuRyuumon's neck.

A sharp breath escaped OuRyuumon's nostrils and his claws balled up as he felt the intense heat against his scales.

Dynasmon snarled. "Shit…" he whispered under his breath. He backed up, pressing his wings against UlforceVeedramon's wings and Sleipmon's tail. They were cornered and Dorbickmon had the advantage of a hostage. He glared angrily at the situation they found themselves in. "What the hell are we gonna do…?"


	32. Chapter 23: Disorder

(Author's Notes: Clear your schedules; it's another long one! Sorry! Unless you like long chapters, in which case, it was completely on purpose. Also, I'm trying to hash out a writing schedule around my university classes so that I have time to write. Enjoy the chapter!)

**Chapter 23: Disorder**

Dukemon, Magnamon, and RhodoKnightmon walked down a hallway of the castle together. The rain still poured outside as they waited with anticipation for the return of their comrades.

"Now, Dukemon, Magnamon," RhodoKnightmon spoke, looking over at the two knights beside him. "I need your opinions. What should I make for dinner tonight? I want to make something hearty and filling since they'll probably be hungry once they get back from Lupolford."

"Uhh, beef stew?" Dukemon suggested, shrugging.

"Hmm… Do you think that would be enough?" RhodoKnightmon asked, scratching his chin. "Dynasmon's appetite is almost as large as some Greymons' at times."

"I dunno. Throw extra vegetables and stuff in," Dukemon told him. "If he wants more, he can always go back for seconds."

"Alright. I suppose that will do," the pink armoured knight replied.

"How do you guys think they're doing?" Magnamon asked, looking up at the other two.

"Hard to say…" Dukemon frowned. "Dorbickmon's there, so they might be in for a fight…"

"They will be perfectly fine," RhodoKnightmon assured them. "They're prepared, coordinated, and there are four of them."

"DarkKnightmon's really strong, though. As strong as any of us are," Magnamon responded.

"I trust them. They don't have to defeat him. They just have to free OuRyuumon and Omegamon and get out of there," Dukemon said as the three turned a corner. "It's-"

The sound of an earth-shaking explosion thundered nearby. The three Royal Knights were nearly knocked off balance when the building trembled from the concussion.

"Damn it!" Dukemon sputtered, his caped back hitting the nearby wall. He sneered and looked around ardently. "What the hell was that?!"

"An explosion," RhodoKnightmon, using the ribbons of his armour to balance himself.

"Attack! We're under attack!" a guard's voice yelled from nearby.

"What?! Impossible!" Dukemon exclaimed.

"We need to check it out!" Magnamon said to them, running down the hallway. "To arms!"

Dukemon nodded and raced after him, followed by RhodoKnightmon. They hurried out to the third floor terrace balcony, rushing into the rain. They ran past the colourful flowers and vibrant plants to reach the parapets. From that vantage point, they gazed over the edge to try and find out what happened. Despite the rain, they saw a cloud of dust and smoke rising up from the outer edge of the defensive wall surrounding the castle grounds. There were shouts from guards and soldiers below as everybody tried to figure out what was going on and get organized.

Dukemon, Magnamon, and RhodoKnightmon watched as a beam of yellow light streaked through the rain and impacted a different section of the wall, creating another resounding detonation. The explosion shook the ground and buildings, its glowing energy blooming outwards and turning some of the falling drops of rain into steam. They glared and clutched the stone railing to keep themselves steady.

Dukemon turned to the others quickly. "RhodoKnightmon, go get Alphamon and Duftmon and tell them what's going on. Magnamon, come with me; we have to get the troops in order and take these attackers down."

"Right," RhodoKnightmon answered, wasting no time in running back into the main building.

Dukemon climbed onto the parapet, prompting Magnamon to do the same. The crimson knight lunged down to the second storey stone bridge that led from the main building to one of the guard towers. He landed on the bridge and leapfrogged off it to hop down to the ground. He landed gracefully and his red cape settled behind him as he stood up and looked around.

Magnamon landed next to him. "Let's get to work," he told him. "I'll check out the wall."

"Okay," Dukemon answered, nodding to Magnamon. "Be careful."

Magnamon smiled calmly and gave him the 'V' sign before lunging off the ground and flying towards the wall.

"Dukemon, Sir! We're under attack!" a voice behind him yelled over the rain and voices.

Dukemon turned around and saw a bulky Knightmon making his way through the sea of scrambling Digimon over towards him. "Captain Knightmon," he spoke, forgoing the formalities when talking to the Captain of the Defence Forces. "Give me the situation."

"Unknown, sir. We're under attack by at least two aerial enemies. Species unknown; we can't see them through the rain. They're strong enough to put dents in our wall though," Knightmon replied. "Me and my leftenants are trying to get our soldiers in order. I'm sending the Castle Guards to secure the perimeter of the castle."

"And the Strike Forces?" Dukemon asked.

"They're in a mess," Knightmon answered. "With Captain OuRyuumon gone, there's a leadership void in their ranks. One of the leftenants is saying one thing while another is saying another thing. There's a lot of shouting. They need a unified voice to direct them."

"I'll take care of that," the red knight explained. "Move your Shield Guards to the main building and move the Anti-Aerial Guards to a forward position with the Aerial Guards behind them for cover."

"Understood, sir!" Knightmon responded before another explosion rocked the foundations of their walls. The Captain spun around on his boot and ran back to his troops.

Dukemon turned and saw a violet explosion blossom up from behind the wall, further down the length of the fortifications. He snarled and dashed down the courtyard, towards the Strike Forces barracks, where he saw many Digimon scrambling about.

He saw two Digimon standing above the others. The first was a dragon warrior Digimon clad in fine gold armour, with a blue cape drooping from his back wetly. He stood on top of a collection of barrels, which had been in the process of being moved inside when the attack started. The Grademon yelled to the surprised, restless, and bewildered troops, trying to get them in order.

"Aerial Strike Forces!" he yelled to the flier section of the Strike Forces, who were interspersed among the ground forces in front of him. "Move out and confront the enemy! My Ground Forces will be right behind you!"

"I don't think so!" a voice said from behind the Grademon leftenant. Behind him was a white gryphon Digimon with a bestial body and an eagle-like head. The HippoGriffomon flapped his broad, pristine wings and sneered at Grademon. "The Aerial Strike Forces are under my command! You haven't been appointed as Captain OuRyuumon's replacement!"

"The Captain isn't here and we're under attack! Somebody needs to take command here!" Grademon protested to his fellow leftenant.

"You command your own forces, then! I won't have my fliers sent out past the defences in the thick rain to face an enemy we haven't even identified!" HippoGriffomon retorted. "It's too dangerous!"

"No more dangerous than sitting around on our hands while we're bombarded!" Grademon challenged. "I can't send my Ground Forces out without air superiority; these enemies are obviously airborne, so I need air cover from your fliers!"

"So, I send my fliers out to engage an unknown enemy and then they have to worry about evading friendly fire from the ground as well? Not a chance. We should bolster our defences and lay down a base of fire instead, not let the enemy draw us out of the castle," HippoGriffomon told him firmly.

"There won't be a castle at this rate!" Grademon yelled at him.

"Hey, hey! Enough, you two!" Dukemon scolded them, shoving his way through the crowd of soldiers awaiting their orders. He stopped in front of the two and looked up. "I'm taking temporary command of the Strike Forces in OuRyuumon's absence. What we need now is order and cohesion!"

"Yes, sir," they both replied.

Dukemon nodded and turned around to the collective Strike Forces. "Okay, guys and girls! Listen up! Magnamon's out sizing up our attackers and hopefully giving them a few licks while he's out there. Once he's back and we figure out what we're dealing with, then I'll give you your orders. For now, stay sharp." Dukemon then turned around and looked at Grademon and HippoGriffomon. "And remember, you two: compromise is the bandage that holds relationships together."

"…Yes, sir," they replied again.

"Good," Dukemon said with a grin. He then looked forwards and noticed something further down the castle grounds. Another explosion against the exterior of the wall detonated incredibly close to their position. The resulting tremors were enough to knock Grademon off of his barrel. Dukemon quickly caught him and set him down before turning back to what he was looking at. Alphamon, Duftmon, and RhodoKnightmon were running out of the castle. "Be right back," he told them quickly.

Dukemon ran through the crowd, lightly pushing by them as he made his way towards the three. Once past them, he was free to run up to his fellow Royal Knights, who stood beneath one of the stone bridges leading to the wall.

"We really should not be standing beneath this; one blast and that bridge will come crashing down on top of us," Duftmon mused calmly, looking up.

The three turned when Dukemon stopped in front of them. "Guys," he greeted informally. "Good, you're here."

"What's going on here, Dukemon?" Alphamon asked him in a firm tone that carried the gravitas of the situation.

"We're under attack," Dukemon replied.

"Thank you, Dukemon, but we somehow managed to figure that part out without your help," Duftmon sarcastically answered.

"Who by?" Alphamon demanded.

"Yes, who would be so brazen as to attack our own castle?" Duftmon asked, narrowing his eyes, although his voice not betraying any sense of urgency.

"We don't know," Dukemon explained. "The rain's too thick for anybody to see the attackers from the walls. All we know is that their beams pack a punch. Magnamon's out there finding out."

"He had better be quick about it," Duftmon replied.

"Why don't you make yourself useful, Duftmon, and go get the Strike Forces in order?" Dukemon told him. "They need somebody to boss them around."

"Very well. I will," Duftmon responded, folding his arms and closing his eyes indignantly. "But not until Magnamon comes back. I want to know what we're up against."

"Those mercenaries that DarkKnightmon hired, perhaps?" RhodoKnightmon proposed.

"It's not loud enough," Alphamon said with a hard frown. "I sense that it's something else. I don't like it…"

"I get that feeling too…" Dukemon replied. "What are the chances that DarkKnightmon's behind this?"

"Very likely," Alphamon said, stepping out from under the bridge and tensing his hands. "There's no holding back anymore. Things are escalating far too quickly for that. If you see a chance to take them down, take it."

"That suits me quite fine," RhodoKnightmon replied.

"Me as well. We should have adopted that mindset from the beginning," Duftmon added.

Dukemon just nodded. He began to walk after Alphamon but stopped just as he stepped back into the rain. There was a thundering of four successive explosions that flared beyond the wall, casting shadows across the courtyard briefly. He saw the familiar glint of gold armour emerge from the torrent and pass over the wall after a swift hail that it was friendly. "It's Magnamon."

The three Royal Knights looked to see Magnamon flying in the rain with faint streams of smoke trailing behind him from his shoulder armour. After spotting them, Magnamon swerved sharply and somewhat unevenly. He dove down and landed in front of them, a blank, unreadable expression on his face.

"Magnamon?" Dukemon asked him. "What did you see?"

Magnamon didn't reply. Instead, he bowed his head and narrowed his eyes.

"…How bad is it?" Alphamon questioned, feeling a twinge of worry at his body language.

"Bad…" he spoke, "but… not in the way you mean…"

"What are you talking about?" Duftmon inquired with a frown, wishing that he would just come out with it.

"You guys need to see this," Magnamon explained grimly. With a wince, he turned around and flew up towards the wall.

The Royal Knights exchanged glances but followed, Alphamon and Duftmon flying after him and Dukemon and RhodoKnightmon jumping to the set of stone stairs that led up to the wall. Magnamon landed in front of the parapets and gazed out, past the wall and into the rain. The other four knights reached him and stood next to him. They tried to see what he was talking about.

In the haze of the dense showers, they could just make out three dark figures hovering in the sky. One flew forwards, his spear in his hand. They instantly recognized him as DarkKnightmon.

"Of course…" Alphamon said lowly, narrowing his eyes at the Digimon. He began to build energy up within his palm.

"That isn't it…" Magnamon told him, his brows deeply furrowed. "It's just those three, but…"

On the right side of DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon emerged from the rain, the wolf head cannon on his chest opened up and leaking the yellow breath of residual energy.

"How peculiar, the third one doesn't look like Dorbickmon," RhodoKnightmon remarked, trying to see the third Digimon, who was still partially veiled by the rain. "Dorbickmons can't fly, correct?"

"It's not Dorbickmon…" Magnamon explained to them.

Alphamon leered at the three figures. Something didn't feel right to him. He didn't know what, but he knew that something wasn't right. "DarkKnightmon!" he yelled out.

"Hm hm…" DarkKnightmon chuckled to himself. "Is that you, Alphamon? Good… There's something I'd like to show you… Proof that my plans aren't as ridiculous as you made them out to be."

"What the hell is this, DarkKnightmon?! You're making a massive mistake," Alphamon warned him.

"I respectfully disagree…" DarkKnightmon said to him. The shadowy knight then turned to the figure on his left and spoke. "Omegamon Zwart?"

Alphamon's eyes widened as the black figure suddenly flew forwards, revealing himself to the Royal Knights.

The figure showed himself to be Omegamon, but different. This wasn't Omegamon as they knew him. His form was as black as the night and he had cold, savage, red eyes that glared at them with a baleful gaze.

"You see? Even Omegamon has seen the light," DarkKnightmon announced to them. "He is with me now."

"What…?" Dukemon asked incredulously, his voice hollow.

"That cannot be…" RhodoKnightmon whispered.

"He wouldn't…" Duftmon spoke with a disbelieving scowl.

Magnamon grimaced and looked up at Alphamon. His heart panged when he saw the distraught look of grief and horror on Alphamon's face.

Their blood ran cold when they realized that this wasn't the Omegamon they knew anymore. They further froze when the black knight raised his Garuru Cannon directly at them.

Alphamon's heart sunk when he saw Omegamon Zwart point his cannon in their direction. "Omegamon…" he spoke hopelessly.

Omegamon Zwart narrowed his eyes and took precise aim at him. "Garuru Cannon."

The cannon burst with an azure aura and fired an orb of freezing power towards the Royal Knights, freezing droplets of rain in its wake.

* * *

><p>"What are those noises? What's going on?!" Examon demanded.<p>

The bandaged dragon tried to sit up in his bed in the medical bay and stand to his feet. He heard the deep rumblings of what sounded like explosions in the distance. Down the hallways that were outside the ward, he could hear the echoes of orders being shouted to the guards. It sounded like there was a scramble order in effect.

Duskmon stood at the door to the hallway, talking to somebody just outside. The physician frowned and nodded. "Understood. Do your best," he told the guard he was speaking to. "I'll continue tending to my patients, and if these attackers try to get in, then I'll cut them down."

The two eyeballs on his shoulders suddenly wheeled behind him when they noticed Examon trying to get out of bed. While still facing the guard, Duskmon said, "Excuse me," and turned around. He walked back to Examon, placed his hands of the dragon knight's spiked shoulders and gently yet firmly forced him back onto the bed.

"Duskmon!" Examon protested although too stiff and pained to resist too much.

"You need to rest, Examon," Duskmon told him unwaveringly.

"But we're under attack," Examon answered, gritting his teeth.

"You can hardly move," the physician pointed out. "You're still in bad shape from your encounter with Dorbickmon. In your condition, the only person you'll end up hurting is yourself."

"I'll manage," the dragon Digimon stubbornly insisted. "It's my job to be out there helping to defend our home. I'm a Royal Knight."

"And I'm a physician. It's my job to take care of the wounded. You are one of the wounded right now."

Examon frowned. "Yes, but—"

"Let me tell you, Examon. I treat the Royal Knights, soldiers, scouts, and spies on a regular basis. I get the macho 'I'm fine, Doc. It's just a flesh wound.', and the 'my friends are counting on me' stuff all the time. You aren't the first to want to skip out on bed rest so you can be somewhere else, and you certainly won't be the last. I'll tell you what I tell everyone else: either lie down or I'll fasten you down."

Examon winced. "I understand, Duskmon. Normally, I wouldn't mind resting, but don't you think these are extenuating circumstances?"

Duskmon walked over to a cart and began to calmly collect medical supplies from them. "If the situation is so bad that we have to send the wounded out to fight, then we're already in big trouble," he responded simply. "There are five Royal Knights here. Generally speaking, that's enough to face down a small army. Not to mention the rest of our forces and our defences. They'll be fine without your help, I'm sure."

Examon was still reluctant. With a sharp, irritated grunt, he lay back down on his bed. "Fine, I'll stay… but if they breach our defences, I'm going out there to fight," he told Duskmon authoritatively.

"If they breach our defences, I'll be right out there beside you," Duskmon conceded with a light smirk.

"Thank you," Examon breathed, wincing slightly at both a twinge of pain in his body and the fact that he had to sit by while his friends went into battle. Still, he recognized that Duskmon had a point. He was in no shape to do anything but stationary sniping from one of the towers. At least then he would feel like he was doing something useful, but he decided to defer to the doctor's orders. The more rational side of Examon didn't want to risk hurting himself in case he was needed later.

Duskmon nodded. His right shoulder eye darted behind him. "Excuse me. One of my other patients seems to have the same idea that you had. I need to go put him in his place," he told Examon, beginning to turn around. "Get some rest."

Examon sighed and lay back in his bed. "Not much chance of that…"

* * *

><p>"I said put down your damn weapons!"<p>

Dorbickmon's blazing sword edged closer to OuRyuumon's neck. The sweat trickling down it began to evaporate from the heat of the Tyrant Collbrande. Dorbickmon pressed his palm harder against OuRyuumon's mouth and snarled at the Royal Knights.

The Royal Knights glanced at Dorbickmon briefly before turning back to the mercenaries surrounding them. They pressed their backs against one another's defensively.

"Drop them or I'll kill him!" Dorbickmon threatened them.

"You won't," Craniamon challenged, shooting him a quick glare.

"You don't know me very well, bucket head," the dragon mercenary retorted.

Sleipmon looked over his shoulder at the violet knight. "Don't push him, Craniamon," he whispered to him. He then turned back to Dorbickmon, aiming the Muspellsheimr at him carefully, trying to get a good shot that wouldn't risk OuRyuumon's safety.

"He won't," Craniamon said aloud, making sure that Dorbickmon could hear. "OuRyuumon's the only thing between him and an arrow in the skull. _He_ should surrender."

"You're forgetting about my companions…" Dorbickmon responded, nodding to black-themed mercenaries surrounding the Royal Knights. "You _could_ resist and get OuRyuumon here killed and let this cozy town become a battlefield… or you could surrender peacefully. I'm sure the Royal Knights aren't the kinds of heroes that want to get a lot of blood on their hands…" He smirked enigmatically.

Craniamon turned to the other knights, although making sure to keep the Darkdramon in his sight. "He's bluffing," he whispered to them.

"Can we take that chance?" Sleipmon asked him in a low voice. "Maybe it would be best to play along for now."

"If Omegamon hasn't broken free, do you think we could?" Craniamon countered. "I'm not going along with what that bastard wants. OuRyuumon will be fine if we can make a decisive move."

"And if we screw up, he's dead," Sleipmon argued.

UlforceVeedramon looked over his shoulder to Dynasmon. "It's your call, Dynasmon," he whispered. "You're the team leader here."

"Thanks. No pressure," Dynasmon muttered, frowning deeply. He turned his head and looked over at OuRyuumon.

Unable to speak, OuRyuumon communicated with a harsh glare and then glanced at Dorbickmon, indicating that he wanted them to kill him, even at the danger of his own life.

Dynasmon recognized what OuRyuumon was telling him. He released a slight grimace and swore under his breath. He didn't want to risk OuRyuumon's life, but he realized that he couldn't afford to let himself and the other three be taken prisoner as well. That would give DarkKnightmon an insurmountable advantage against the Royal Knights' order, as well as compromise their position.

He closed his eyes and thought for a few moments. Dynasmon opened them with a glare and gave Sleipmon a sneaky elbow.

Sleipmon turned and looked at him, to which he saw Dynasmon shoot a look over at Dorbickmon. The horse knight released a tiny sigh through his nostrils and took careful aim.

"What's it gonna be, Royal Knights?! Your friend or your pride?" Dorbickmon asked them, gripping his sword tightly. He gestured with his head to the Cimmerian Adventurer mercenaries. "You've got five seconds!"

The Cimmerian Adventurers got ready to move in on the Royal Knights. The Royal Knights stiffened and prepared to react.

"Five!" Dorbickmon called out with a sneer. "Four-!?"

OuRyuumon suddenly ripped his mouth away from Dorbickmon's hand, burning his scales briefly against the Tyrant Collbrande. "FIRE!" he yelled to Sleipmon before chomping down on Dorbickmon's hand and fingers, hard enough for his jagged teeth to pierce through his gauntlet and dig into his scales. OuRyuumon quickly released Dorbickmon's hand, grimacing in pain from the bite.

Dorbickmon roared in pain and ripped his hand away from OuRyuumon. "Rrragh! Damn you!" he roared, inadvertently pulling the flame-wreathed sword away from OuRyuumon's neck from the pain and surprise of the attack.

Sleipmon's eyes narrowed, seeing an opening for him. "Left, OuRyuumon!" he ordered him. The bolt of the Muspellsheimr burned brightly in the tiller of the crossbow. "Bifröst!"

Sleipmon fired the Muspellsheimr. The radiant arrow streaked across the room and pierced into Dorbickmon's armoured, right shoulder with a refulgent burst.

Dorbickmon cried out as he was spun around from the blast and crashed to the floor. He snarled in agony and clutched his bleeding shoulder with his blood-soaked hand. "ATTACK!"

"Go, Ulforce!" Dynasmon yelled out, looking over at OuRyuumon for a brief moment. "Craniamon! Cover him!"

"Already on it!" Craniamon responded, charging forwards and slashing his spear across the chest of a Reichmon.

UlforceVeedramon nodded and took off in a cobalt blur. He flew towards OuRyuumon, his Ulforce Sabre poised behind him and whirring strongly. "Heads up, OuRyuumon!" he warned him as he closed in on him.

OuRyuumon looked up as he saw the azure afterimage flying at him. He watched as UlforceVeedramon swept his arm forwards, causing the beam blade to curve slightly as it cut towards the chain. The sword impacted the chain, causing the segmented metal to bend and cause OuRyuumon to jerk with the wrenching motion.

UlforceVeedramon was surprised that the chain didn't break immediately and that it was actually holding against his Ulforce Sabre. Regardless, he pressed the laser blade against the chain harder. He could see that it was slowly but surely melting through the first chain link.

"Come on…" he muttered. UlforceVeedramon glanced over his shoulder and noticed the black Deathmon aiming the eyes in his palms at him, getting ready to fire lasers from them. He sneered. He couldn't bring up his Tensegrity field to defend himself and OuRyuumon while he was cutting through the chains.

"Dragon's Roar!" Dynasmon released a blast of condensed ice and electricity from his palms, straight into the Deathmon's side. The explosion threw the demon into the wall and caused the room to tremble.

"Thanks, Dynasmon!" UlforceVeedramon called over to him as he finished melting through the chains.

Released from his forced standing position, OuRyuumon collapsed to his knees and elbows, unable to stand very well on his own, due to his tender muscles. He growled as a shock of pain surged through his body at the sudden movement. "D-Damnit…" he hissed, glaring at the ground and wishing that he was in good enough condition to help fight back. Right now, he felt like a liability.

"Stay still," UlforceVeedramon told OuRyuumon as he bent over him to begin cutting the chains that bound his wrists. He looked up to the other Royal Knights, who were currently engaged in combat. "Hey! I need some cover while I free his hands and wings!"

Dynasmon was busy grappling with the BlackWarGreymon, while Craniamon was locking spears with the Darkdramon. "Sleipmon!" Dynasmon called over to the horse knight, who bashed a KaiserLeomon aside with his shield before firing a bolt from his crossbow at a charging Reichmon.

Sleipmon turned around and loaded another arrow. "Got it covered!" he responded, galloping towards UlforceVeedramon and OuRyuumon.

"I don't think so!" Dorbickmon snarled, glaring at blue dragon man in front of him as he got to his knees. The ports on his breastplate glowed a fiery violet and launched two burning beams into UlforceVeedramon's back.

UlforceVeedramon cried out as his armour was pounded and his wings were singed, the force of the blast knocking him down on top of OuRyuumon, just narrowly missing his blade wings.

"Ulforce!" Sleipmon called out. He narrowed his eyes and sped up his gallop. With an impressive jump, Sleipmon lunged over his two allies and drove his two front hooves into Dorbickmon's chest, throwing him down and sending him skidding across the stone floor. Sleipmon landed beside UlforceVeedramon and looked down at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" UlforceVeedramon said, although his back was smoking. He adjusted his beam sword and went back to trying to free OuRyuumon.

"I'll cover you," the cavalier Digimon assured him. He turned and fired a Bifröst attack at the Darkdramon as soon as he recoiled from one of Craniamon's attacks. Sleipmon then twisted his upper body and aimed at Dorbickmon as the dragon stood to his feet and gripped his sword.

"Big mistake, tin cans," Dorbickmon snarled.

"The only one who made a mistake is you: taking one of our friends," Sleipmon told him. He aligned his eye with the end of the Muspellsheimr and fired.

Dorbickmon saw the bolt soaring towards him. He grunted and swiftly brought his sword down in a fiery arc. The Tyrant Collbrande collided with the arrow and ripped it apart with its violent flames. As the glowing ashes floated up in front of Dorbickmon's face, he gritted his teeth and levelled a glared at Sleipmon. "Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" he growled, unleashing a wave of fire from his mouth towards Sleipmon.

Sleipmon sneered as the inferno swept towards him, very aware of his two comrades behind him who were relying on him to guard them. He brought his giant, red, kite shield in front of him. The Niflheimr glowed an intense blue colour and began to freeze the beads of water that clung to their forms from the rain outside. "Odin's Breath!"

The shield surged with frigid power, blasting ice forwards to meet the flood of fire. The elements clashed and fought against each other, the fire contending against the freezing wind and melting ice. Sleipmon grunted with effort and kept up his attack. "Hurry, Ulforce! I can only keep this up for so long!" he warned him

"I'm almost there!" UlforceVeedramon told him. He finished cutting the bindings from OuRyuumon's hands and proceeded to cleave through the chains around his wings. "Almost… got it!" he announced victoriously, cutting through the last link. "Sleipmon! He'll need to go with-"

"I know!" Sleipmon responded. "Then you'll have to-"

"Got it!" UlforceVeedramon replied.

OuRyuumon grimaced and tried to push himself up, although his muscles were protesting against his every movement. He managed to get to his knees before his arms gave out and he fell back on the floor, his form absolutely exhausted from the beatings and imprisonment. "D-Damn it…" he hissed.

"Here," UlforceVeedramon told him, deactivating his sword and bending down to help him stand. He wrapped his arms around OuRyuumon's long, serpentine body and hoisted him onto Sleipmon's back, so that he was slung over him. "Hang on, okay?"

"Yeah…" OuRyuumon replied, first rubbing his sore wrists.

Upon backing away, UlforceVeedramon swerved to face Dynasmon. "Dynasmon! We need an exit!"

"And fast!" Sleipmon added, his shield trembling as he struggled to contend with Dorbickmon's advantageous element. He grunted and stopped his Odin's Breath attack. "Ulforce! Now!"

UlforceVeedramon dashed in front of Sleipmon, putting himself between the horse knight and Dorbickmon's attack. He brought up his left arm and activated its V-Bracelet. "Tensegrity Shield!" Just as the inferno swept in on him, the bracer unleashed a dome-like barrier in front of him. The flames impacted the shield before splaying off into harmless embers. "Go!" he yelled to Sleipmon.

Dynasmon grabbed the BlackWarGreymon by the face and waist and threw him across the room. The knight was about to move, but his back was struck by a painful laser blast. Although it burned and he felt the trickle of blood on his wing, the adrenaline was pumping enough for him to simply shrug it off and spin around to face the Deathmon that fired it. "I'll give you guys an exit!" he said with an intense snarl. His pupils shrunk and his red eyes became intense and wild. "Breath of Wyvern!"

The yellow aura dragon, Wyvern, was summoned from Dynasmon's body, roaring as he materialized. Wyvern soared towards the exit, tearing up the floor, walls, and anything in its path as it flew. The giant dragon swept through the Deathmon and two of the KaiserLeomon, reducing them to nothing but data. Wyvern continued on, smashing through the door and destroying much of the hallway. The sound of rock and wood being ripped to pieces was overshadowed only by the dragon's crackling power and passionate roar. When the escape route was opened up, Wyvern faded and his essence was recalled back to Dynasmon's body.

In its wake was a dust-filled, gaping hallway, extending into the adjacent rooms and barely holding together under the massive interior damage. As the smoke cleared, parts of the hallway's ceiling began to crumble in chunks and pieces here and there.

"I said give us an exit, not level the building!" UlforceVeedramon called over to him, glancing over his shoulder as a bead of sweat dripped down his face.

"It worked, didn't it?!" Dynasmon countered. "Go, Sleipmon! Get him out of here! We'll cover you!"

"What about you guys?" Sleipmon asked with concern, although getting ready to move.

"We'll be fine! We'll take care of these jerks! Now, go!" Dynasmon told him.

Sleipmon nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "Hold on," he told OuRyuumon. With that, he broke into a full gallop towards the massive escape route that Dynasmon made. Sleipmon bashed the Niflheimr into a Reichmon that made the mistake of getting in his way, throwing him aside. He dashed out of the room otherwise unopposed. Sleipmon galloped down the debris-filled hallway, heading into the lingering smoke and dust that cloaked the area.

OuRyuumon held onto one of Sleipmon's wings and one of the ropes hanging off the side of his back armour. He grimaced at the bumpy ride and how it caused pain to his bruises, cuts, and tender muscles. "W-Wait a sec, Sleipmon!" he said suddenly, remembering something.

"What is it?" Sleipmon asked, although continuing to gallop.

"My scimitars!" OuRyuumon told him. "They took them; I need to get them back!"

"Sorry. There's no time for that," Sleipmon answered apologetically. "I need to focus on getting you out of here."

"Yeah, but I need them, damn it! I need them to fight!" OuRyuumon protested.

"You can't fight in your condition anyways," Sleipmon told him. "Look, we'll get them back once we drive these mercenaries out of here and resecure the town."

"There might not be anything left of this building by then!" the dragon argued.

"My priority is getting you out of here," the Royal Knight insisted. He glanced over his shoulder. "Now where's Omegamon? We need to get him next."

At that, OuRyuumon went quiet. He growled lowly and glared down at the floor as it flew past his vision.

"OuRyuumon?" Sleipmon asked, growing a bit worried at the lack of a reply. "What happened with Omegamon? Do you know?"

"…Yeah…" OuRyuumon muttered in response. "It's not good…"

Sleipmon slowed down as they reached the far end of the great hall. He stopped and looked at OuRyuumon with a serious look on his face. "…Tell me."

* * *

><p>UlforceVeedramon swung around and drove the Ulforce Sabre into a Reichmon's chest, straight through his digi core. He grunted and retracted the whirring beam blade, prompting the Reichmon to burst into data.<p>

He turned around just in time to see the BlackWarGreymon lunge at him and slash with his Dramon Killers. The cobalt knight kicked off the floor and jumped backwards, acting just in time for the anti-Dramon weapon to rend across his chest armour without reaching his scales. He gritted his teeth behind his helmet as small shards of metal and sparks flew off from the slash.

"Don't delete all of them!" Dynasmon called out to Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon. He was in the middle of grappling with Dorbickmon. His left hand was gripping Dorbickmon's right wrist, trying to stop him from bringing his blazing sword down on him, while their other hands gripped the other's to stop their claws from striking each other. He glared deeply into Dorbickmon's eyes. "We'll need to question them for information on Omegamon's location!"

Dorbickmon laughed in Dynasmon's face at that. Dynasmon sneered and tried to ignore the smoke that wafted into his face from Dorbickmon's mouth. The red dragon man put more strength into his sword arm and grinned at Dynasmon as he tried to bring the sword down further. "You'll be wasting your time!" Dorbickmon explained to him.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Dynasmon challenged, glaring into Dorbickmon's eyes.

"Omegamon…" Dorbickmon paused to pull his sword back and slash it towards Dynasmon at a low, horizontal angle. Dynasmon caught the sword in his claws and quickly deflected it away. Dorbickmon grunted and jumped backwards in order to recover into a better stance. "Omegamon isn't the same as you remember him!" he taunted.

Dynasmon narrowed his eyes. "What did you bastards do to him?!" he demanded. Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon briefly glanced over at their heated words.

"Happen to see that dark rift in the great hall?" Dorbickmon asked with a smirk. He could tell by Dynasmon's darkening expression that they had. "Well… DarkKnightmon used its power on Omegamon. It changed him… Omegamon Zwart, I think he calls himself now. Completely loyal to DarkKnightmon. And, Sovereigns, is he pissed at you guys."

A snarl escaped Dynasmon's mouth. "You're lying…"

UlforceVeedramon swore under his breath and kept up his ferocious attack on the BlackWarGreymon. Craniamon narrowed his eyes quietly, thinking to himself as he brought up the Avalon to block a stab from the Darkdramon's Gigastick Lance.

Dorbickmon shot him a rivalrous smile. "Believe me. Don't. What do I care? You'll see sooner or later."

"He would never work with DarkKnightmon!" Dynasmon protested, balling up his claws furiously.

"Weren't you listening? He didn't really have a choice," Dorbickmon explained. "Don't underestimate the power of the Dark Area."

"The Dark Area is used as a prison and an intermediate between deletion and reformatting!" UlforceVeedramon protested. "There's no way we or Anubismon would allow dark data to grow in there."

"There's plenty of dark data in there," Dorbickmon explained. "But there's a difference between 'pure' dark data and 'corrupt' dark data, I think. I dunno the science of it, but I do know that Omegamon's with us now."

"He's right," Craniamon told them, although still glaring coldly at the Darkdramon opposite him. "Remember the Darkdramon I fought."

"What?" the Darkdramon asked, frowning. "I'm right here."

"Not you, idiot," Craniamon retorted. "The one that was corrupted by dark data."

"Damn it…" Dynasmon snarled, conceding that it was possible. "He might just be saying this to throw us off the scent!"

"Ask OuRyuumon, if you don't believe me," Dorbickmon told him. He swept the Tyrant Collbrande down, making the flames expand and intensity, causing the blade to grow in size. "Well, I guess you won't be able to, since we're going to take you three down right here!"

"Then we have no reason to keep any of you alive," Craniamon threatened.

This prompted the Darkdramon and BlackWarGreymon to exchange glances with each other. They looked around and saw that they were the only two mercenaries from their team left alive. They jumped away from Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon and landed nearby each other.

"Retreat?" Darkdramon asked his comrade.

"And lose out on the big payment at the end of the job?" BlackWarGreymon responded.

"We already got the incentive fee upfront, plus now we have everybody else's share too."

"I dunno…"

"It's over. Sleipmon's gone with the dragon; he's going to report to the RKs and they're gonna come down on this hideout like a tonne of bricks. If we fight here, there's a good chance we're gonna end up like the others. And even if we can beat these guys, once the RKs storm the place, we can say goodbye to our paycheck. DarkKnightmon and them are gonna be on the run. Let's cut our losses and get the hell outta here."

"Yeah… Yeah, you've got a point… Covert ops and security is one thing, but we can't take on the entire Order."

Darkdramon and BlackWarGreymon turned to look at Dorbickmon, who was in the middle of hacking his sword down on Dynasmon. "Hey, Dorbickmon!" the mercenaries called to him.

Dorbickmon glanced up for a moment before doing a combat roll across the floor to avoid a heavy blast from Dynasmon. "What?!" he yelled after jumping to his feet.

"We're outta here! This is more than our paycheck's worth!" Darkdramon told him, flaring his wings up and turning around.

"If you have any sense, you'll come with us!" the BlackWarGreymon added.

With that, the two Cimmerian Adventurers mercenaries took off and raced down what was left of the hallway.

"What?!" Dorbickmon demanded, snarling. "You spineless cowards! If you had a pair of balls between you, you'd get back here and fight! Damnit!"

Craniamon narrowed his eyes as he watched the two mercenaries escape. "Are we going to just let them go?" he asked in a tone that suggested he had a bitter taste in his mouth at the idea.

Dynasmon grunted and the elemental aura he just fired faded from his palms. "I'd rather not, but we've gotta be practical."

UlforceVeedramon nodded and walked past Craniamon, speaking lowly. "Dorbickmon's enough to handle without having to fight those two too."

Craniamon grunted, conceding, but hating the thought of the three of them all facing one opponent when there were three of them to go around. "Fine."

"Looks like you're all alone, Dorbickmon," Dynasmon told him, taking a step forwards. "Surrender while you can."

Dorbickmon laughed and narrowed his eyes at them in a dark smirk. "You don't know me at all. I always have another move to make," he warned them. "That mayor should have kept his mouth shut… Did he mention what would happen to Lupolford if you intervened?"

Dynasmon glared at him. "We won't let you!"

"I always have an exit strategy!" Dorbickmon roared. "Burning the Dragon!"

Jagged columns of rock exploded through the floor, tearing through the stone and marble. Fissures and cracks snaked beneath the knights' feet and the rock formations burst up in a shower of dirt and stone fragments, ascending all the way up through the ceiling.

"Scatter! Get out!" Dynasmon called out to them. "He's going to bring the whole place down!"

"Not if I can help it," Craniamon muttered. He dashed towards Dorbickmon, deftly evading two stone spikes that plunged from the ground. He sprinted across the fracturing floor, his spear in hand, getting ready to attack Dorbickmon, when, suddenly, a giant wall of strata pierced the floor in front of him, blocking him from getting to Dorbickmon. Dust and dirt flooded through the room from the piercing rocks and collapsing ceiling, making visibility abysmal.

"Craniamon! Get your big ass out of there! The building's giving way!" UlforceVeedramon called out, although neither of them could properly see each other. "There's a hole in the wall over here!"

"Damn it…" Craniamon grunted. Reluctantly, he ran towards UlforceVeedramon's voice, bashing a piece of falling ceiling away with his shield, and lunging over a pillar of stone that burst from the floor. He could see a blue figure through the haze of unsettled dirt, and ran towards it. He saw UlforceVeedramon waiting for him next to a gaping hole in the wall. "Where's Dynasmon?"

"Dunno," UlforceVeedramon said impatiently. "He's already outside. Let's go already! I don't want to break a horn in here."

Craniamon nodded and dashed through the hole into another room. On the other end, he could see the wall's blocks of stone collapsing, opening up another exit for them. "There," he told UlforceVeedramon.

They both ran towards the hole and burst out the other side, through the thick dirt and into the fresh air. The knights were greeted by the pouring rain, which wet their faces and pounded their armour. As they ran out, they saw Dynasmon ahead of them.

Dynasmon spun around and looked at them with relief. "Good, you're out. Now where-!"

He was interrupted by the sound of crashing. The town hall began to collapse. The upper levels sagged around the rock spikes, and the walls caved in, the stone slabs and bricks toppling down in a booming crash that must have sounded like thunder in the rain. The building was imploding in on itself.

"Get back!" Dynasmon called out.

The Royal Knights did so, jumping away as the town hall came crashing down in a cacophony and an outward plume of billowing dust. The thick, congesting smoke washed over them, clouding their vision as their armour was pelted by small shards of stone.

The thick dust lay heavy in the pouring rain. Dynasmon and UlforceVeedramon flew up and began flapping their broad wings to blow the smoke away. Meanwhile, Craniamon spun the Claiohm Solais over his head to create a vortex of wind, sucking the smoke in and dispersing it high into the air.

From his aerial viewpoint, Dynasmon took the opportunity to look around as soon as the smoke and dust was cleared. He saw that the commotion had drawn curious and worried spectators; many Digimon had come out of their homes and places of work to see what was happening with the town hall.

Dynasmon grunted. He knew Dorbickmon was still around and the mercenary's threat was still at large in his mind. He turned to the civilian Digimon. "Everybody, get away from here!" he shouted to them. "It's not safe! Evacuate immediately!"

"He's right!" UlforceVeedramon added. "Everybody leave Lupolford in a quick and orderly fashion until we contain the situation!"

"They won't get the chance!" a voice snarled from nearby.

The three knights turned and saw Dorbickmon stalking over. The Tyrant Collbrande was held tightly in his claws, blazing and hissing when the rain hit the flames and turned to steam. He had a fiery, aggressive look in his eyes.

"Give me safe passage outta here or else I start making more explosions," he told them.

"You're joking," Craniamon spoke, bringing his double spear down in front of him.

"I've got a better idea: we kick your ass," Dynasmon told him.

Dorbickmon scoffed. "Suit yourselves…" he said. He then turned towards the town and fired blasts from the ports on his chest. The fiery beams pierced the walls of a building. It exploded from the inside in a burst of flame and debris.

There were a few screams from the onlookers and the gathering Digimon began to run.

"Everybody evacuate!" Dynasmon called out to them. "He has the power of a Mega level Digimon!"

Dorbickmon fired another powerful blast, ripping up two buildings at once and reducing them to fragments, cinders, and data. He then turned and shot another blast that soared across the ground and slammed into the statue of MetalGarurumon X, which stood in the debris-ridden courtyard of the destroyed town hall. The statue exploded and the shards of rock pelted the ground and buildings surrounding it.

"I've got him," Craniamon said to the others, narrowing his eyes before charging across the courtyard towards Dorbickmon. He lunged into the air and slashed his blade down vertically as he descended.

Dorbickmon grunted and blocked the Claiohm Solais with the Tyrant Collbrande. He put all of his muscle into resisting the attack, despite the pain and blood streaming down his shoulder wound from where Sleipmon shot him. The searing sting only served to fuel his adrenaline, feeding his draconic bloodlust and fighting abilities.

Craniamon landed and retracted the spear, flipping it over in his hand and thrusting it with the opposite end.

The dragon mercenary shifted to the side, largely avoiding the attack except for when the very edge of the blade sliced against his armour. Dorbickmon grabbed hold of Craniamon's wrist and used the opportunity to slam the hilt of his sword into the knight's face, pounding his visor.

Craniamon staggered back but used the Avalon to block Dorbickmon's next attack, causing flames to spread along the face of the black shield.

"Out of my way!" Dorbickmon growled, grabbing Craniamon by the face and tackling him to the ground. He slammed the knight's helmeted head against the cobbles in a brutal melee. He followed it up with a solid punch to the face.

"B-Bastard!" Craniamon grunted in response, dropping his spear and shield to reach up and defend himself. He grabbed Dorbickmon's nose horn in one hand, yanking down while he drove his other fist into the reptile's snout.

Dorbickmon snarled as blood oozed from his lip and nostrils, the crimson fluid mixing with the rain and falling onto Craniamon. He drove his knee into Craniamon's groin and grabbed hold of his visor, scratching at it and trying to get his claws past the defensive covering. When this didn't work, Dorbickmon's chest flared up and he prepared to fire a blast onto Craniamon at point blank range.

"Craniamon!" UlforceVeedramon called out. He tore through the rain, flapping his wings and poising his Ulforce Sabre. He slashed the wrist-mounted beam blade across Dorbickmon's back. It seared through his armour and burned the scales underneath, prompting a roar of pain from the dragon.

Dorbickmon scrambled to his feet, stomping his foot down on Craniamon's abdomen when the knight tried to follow him up. He fired the blast from his chest towards UlforceVeedramon, who was flying away.

UlforceVeedramon glanced over his shoulder at the approaching flames. He knew that if he dodged it, the attack would hit the town. The winged dragon spun around in his flight and spread his wings out, stopping himself. He brought up his left arm in front of him defensively. "Tensegrity Shield!" His multi-faced barrier projected from his V-Bracelet and surrounded him.

The flames blasted the transparent shield, but the barrier held firm against the fiery blast. After a several moments, the attack finally faded into embers, which were snuffed out by the rain. UlforceVeedramon landed and allowed the shield to compress back into his arm bracer.

At this, Dorbickmon smirked. He swept the Tyrant Collbrande out and stabbed it into the ground. "Burning the Dragon!"

A massive shard of rock shot up beneath UlforceVeedramon's feet and slammed into his back, twisting his leg, tearing some of the fabric of his body suit, and throwing him into the air painfully. UlforceVeedramon cried out with pain, but managed to catch himself in the air with his wings.

Craniamon, who was cringing in agony at the previous beating, stabbed the Claiohm Solais at Dorbickmon. The spear stabbed into his upper leg armour, but the dragon twisted his leg so that it missed his scales, and promptly pulled away.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dorbickmon saw something white and violet approaching, but he wasn't able to react in time. Dynasmon plowed into him, connecting his mighty fist across Dorbickmon's face. The punch sent Dorbickmon flying through the air and landing in a large puddle or rainwater on the ground.

Dynasmon pulled Craniamon to his feet and ushered the knight behind him. He began to build up his attack in his hands.

Dorbickmon sneered and propped himself up on his elbows. The inside of his mouth began to glow a bright purple as flames built up in his throat. "Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" he roared, breathing a massive squall of fire towards Dynasmon.

Craniamon grunted and pushed past Dynasmon, standing in the face of the oncoming inferno. He took a steadfast stance and brought the Avalon up in front of him, to shield himself and Dynasmon. "God Breath!"

The shield pulsed with energy and the flames slammed into the shield, splaying outwards harmlessly around the barrier. Craniamon's arm strained painfully as he held against the attack. He glanced to the side with his sharp, red eyes. "Ulforce!"

"Yeah," UlforceVeedramon complied, ignoring the cut on his outer thigh, which trickled blood down his skin-tight leggings. He shot over to Dorbickmon's flank while the dragon was still in the middle of his attack. With the mercenary exposed mid-attack, UlforceVeedramon prepared to act. The 'V' crest on his chest armour began to glow with bright, holy light. "Shining V-Force!"

Dorbickmon noticed the intense gleam in the rain and reluctantly stopped his attack. He turned in time to see the V-shaped ray descend on him. His eyes widened.

The attack burned into his armour and caused the ground around him to explode in a flare of coruscating light.

As Dorbickmon snarled in pain, Dynasmon ran out around Craniamon's shield, blue and yellow energy brimming from his palms. "Dragon's Roar!" he yelled, bringing his hands up and allowing elemental power to surge forth and spiral towards Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon struggled to keep his smoking form standing. He grimaced with rage and frustration, looking up and noticing the attack soaring towards him. "Damn it… Too many at once…" he snarled to himself. Dorbickmon swept the Tyrant Collbrande around and planted the blade firmly into the ground, causing the puddle of water to steam and boil when he did. "Burning the Dragon!"

Several pillars, spikes, and outcroppings of rock burst from the ground in front of him, getting between himself and Dynasmon's attack like a shield. The beams slammed through the thick, stony projections and exploded. The detonation sent dust, smoke, and rock blooming outwards, veiling the entire vicinity. The shroud of dirt prevented the knights from seeing anything.

"Get back, Dynasmon. I'll get rid of it," Craniamon said within the cloud of dust.

Again, Craniamon used a passive variant of his End Waltz technique: spinning his spear to create a small cyclone in order to clear the smoke away. The dense veil faded and all that was left of the protrusions were crumbling stones.

The Royal Knights looked around for Dorbickmon, ready to defend both themselves and the town. However, Dorbickmon was nowhere in sight. They scanned the area fervently but couldn't locate him anywhere.

"He's gone," Dynasmon said, narrowing his eyes.

"He could have gone to attack another part of the town," UlforceVeedramon suggested.

"Or he turned tail and ran," Craniamon supposed.

"We can't let him go," the cobalt knight responded. He looked at Dynasmon. "Should I go after him?"

Dynasmon paused and thought to himself. He realized that Ulforce had a point about letting Dorbickmon go, but it was risky going after him. He sighed. "No, go after Sleipmon. Go with him to headquarters, tell Alphamon what happened, mobilize a brigade of the Shield Guards and send them here to defend Lupolford. Me and Craniamon will secure the town and make sure Dorbickmon doesn't attack again."

"And let Dorbickmon escape again? He's going to be a problem for us later," UlforceVeedramon objected with an annoyed frown.

"Our priority is protecting OuRyuumon and Lupolford. We don't know when DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon could arrive back, so we need to stay on the defensive," Dynasmon insisted. "We need to protect the town as quickly as possible."

"Fine…" UlforceVeedramon conceded.

Craniamon turned and looked towards the pile of rubble that used to be the town hall. "You don't think Omegamon's in there, do you?" he asked, leering hard at the wreckage.

"That's another reason for you to talk to OuRyuumon, Ulforce: to see if Dorbickmon was telling the truth… though I've got a bad feeling that he was," Dynasmon said with a soft grimace.

"Yeah…" UlforceVeedramon said, flapping his wings to ascend from the ground. "Good luck, guys."

"You too," Dynasmon told him. Craniamon nodded.

"OuRyuumon owes us drinks after all this, so don't die or anything," UlforceVeedramon said to them with a small grin. He turned away and flew off in a blue flash, disappearing into the rain.

Craniamon glanced over at Dynasmon. "…Can't believe they were hiding right under our noses. Here of all places. It's humiliating."

"DarkKnightmon's smart. He must have known we wouldn't have expected it," Dynasmon answered. "Look on the bright side: we've finally had a victory. We exposed and destroyed their base of operations, we rescued OuRyuumon, and we sent Dorbickmon scampering away. That's something to smile about, I'd say…"

* * *

><p>"DarkKnightmon!"<p>

Alphamon tore through the rain, his sword gleaming intensely in his hand. His furious red eyes were fixed on the dark knight ahead of him. Rage and adrenaline pumped through his body as he pursued DarkKnightmon. He raised his free hand and fired a Digitalize of Soul attack spiritedly. The thick green blast crackled as it ripped towards his opponent.

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and flew to the side, shooting at the mighty beam with a one of his own, launched from the Twin Spear.

The Royal Knights engaged the attackers outside of the castle wall, ushering them away from the headquarters as much as they could. Smoke and steam wafted up from the craters and gashes along the wall.

"You capture my friend and do _that_ to him?!" Alphamon shouted as he closed in on DarkKnightmon. "I've forgiven you over and over again in the past, DarkKnightmon, but not this time! This time, you've gone too far! And I'm going to make sure that you pay for what you've done!"

"So this is what it took to make you grow a backbone, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon responded, narrowing his eyes rivalrously. "It's too bad you didn't have one when it counted."

"He was your friend too, you traitorous bastard!" Alphamon yelled, slashing his sword down onto DarkKnightmon.

To Alphamon's shock, a shadow moved in front of DarkKnightmon's body and got in the way.

Omegamon Zwart raised the Grey Sword and blocked Alphamon's attack. He glared into the Royal Knight's eyes. "Which is more than I can say about you," Omegamon Zwart told him coldly.

"Omegamon…" Alphamon said, staring at him with surprised red eyes. He pulled the Seiken Grad Alpha back and halted his attack. "You still recognize me?"

"I recognize you," Omegamon Zwart answered, angling his blade in front of him. "Alphamon… Enemy… Liar… Traitor…"

"What…?" Alphamon frowned. "I'm your friend, Omegamon! We've known each other for ages! I'm not your enemy! I'm none of those things!"

"Then what of you and OuRyuumon?" he asked him pointedly.

Alphamon froze. If Omegamon revealed his secret like this, it would be a disaster. Not only that, but it would put OuRyuumon in real danger; he knew that DarkKnightmon would take any opportunity to hurt him.

"I'm your friend, Omegamon! You _know_ me!" Alphamon pleaded. "I know _you_ are in there somewhere!"

Omegamon Zwart narrowed his eyes and raised the Garuru Cannon to Alphamon's face. "Garuru-"

"Final Elysion!"

Dukemon, riding on Grani, cut through the rain towards them. His shield pulsed with energy and released a burning beam through the rain. Both Omegamon Zwart and DarkKnightmon turned and saw the pillar of light surging towards them. The black knights separated to avoid the attack. Dukemon lunged off Grani's back and drove his boot into DarkKnightmon's collar, kicking him mightily and knocking him through the air.

Nearby, RhodoKnightmon and Magnamon cooperated to fight MirageGaogamon, while Duftmon was busy organizing the Defence Forces. Beams tore through the air from the castle walls as the Defence Forces laid down an intermittent base of fire under Duftmon's direction.

The crimson knight landed on the ground and looked up at Alphamon. The Lord of the Empty Seat was silhouetted against streaks of green, red, and white blasts, which targeted Omegamon Zwart. "Alphamon! I'll handle DarkKnightmon! You keep trying to get through to Omegamon!"

DarkKnightmon grunted and lunged out of the way as a volley of ranged attacks descended on him. After narrowly avoiding the nearby explosion, DarkKnightmon looked up at MirageGaogamon and Omegamon Zwart.

"Omegamon Zwart! MirageGaogamon!" he called up to them. "They're starting to get organized! I think we've made our point; it's time to retreat!"

"What?!" Alphamon protested angrily, flying towards Omegamon Zwart. "No! Omegamon! Listen to me!"

"I'm tired of listening to you," Omegamon Zwart told him. He aimed his cannon at Alphamon. "Garuru Cannon."

The muzzle pulsed with icy power and surged through the air, impacting Alphamon's chest as soon as he drew near. Alphamon grunted in pain as he was blasted back through the air, the rainwater that coated his chest armour instantly froze into a thin layer of ice from the attack.

Grani swooped up behind Alphamon and caught him against his underbelly. "Are you alright, Alphamon?" he asked him.

Grimacing, Alphamon looked up to where he last saw Omegamon Zwart. To his dismay, he could see his black form disappearing into the rain. "Omegamon!" he shouted, pulling away from Grani and making to follow him.

"Alphamon!" Duftmon called out from behind him.

Alphamon grunted and glanced over his shoulder at him, a bit annoyed at the delay to his pursuit. He saw Duftmon standing on a parapet of the wall, his sword drawn.

"I believe that this was just a hit-and-run attack to test our defences! They seem to be retreating for good!" Duftmon informed him. "I advise against pursuing them in this weather. They came here with a clear plan and exit strategy, and this rain will make chasing them prove futile and dangerous."

Alphamon narrowed his eyes. "But Omegamon's…!"

"I know, Alphamon," Dukemon said to him from the ground below. "I feel the exact same way that you do. We all do. But—"

Alphamon released a grimace of frustration and anger. "Yes. I know," he replied, brushing the melting ice from his chest impatiently. He turned around and began to fly back towards the castle. "Secure the perimeter! Do not pursue!"

Dukemon sighed a bit and turned to glare in the direction that DarkKnightmon, Omegamon Zwart, and MirageGaogamon retreated in. The glare softened.

Grani floated down beside him. "Are you alright?" he asked Dukemon.

"No… not really," Dukemon admitted sombrely. "But I'm still going to act like it."

"I'm sorry…" Grani apologized, realizing how the situation must be hard for them. "You don't actually think that Omegamon has betrayed us, do you?"

"There's no way Omegamon would ever do that," Dukemon stubbornly replied. "DarkKnightmon must have done something to him."

"I admit it would be extremely out of character for Omegamon to turn on us," Grani agreed, "but what else could have happened?"

"I don't know…" Dukemon said distantly. He turned to Grani. "Fly me up, will ya?"

Grani lowered himself and allowed Dukemon to mount his back. Once Dukemon was standing firmly, he flew up to the castle wall, where the Royal Knights were gathered. Alphamon, Duftmon, RhodoKnightmon, and Magnamon stood together on the damaged ramparts. Dukemon jumped off Grani and landed nearby.

"—goal seemed to be to cause disorder among the Order and gauge our reactions," Duftmon supposed.

"Yes, I agree," Alphamon tersely responded. He turned away and glared sharply into the distance. "He doesn't have the resources or power to take on the Order from the outside so he's trying to weaken us from within using these… underhanded… tactics."

"That appears to be the case…" Duftmon spoke. "As a tactician, the approach is commendable, but as a knight, it lacks any honour. I am… conflicted as to how I feel about him."

"Easy. He's the enemy," Dukemon said, stepping forwards. "You all saw what he did to Omegamon."

"Y…Yeah…" Magnamon said, looking down.

"Can we be sure that that was our dear Omegamon?" RhodoKnightmon asked, folding his arms. "Perhaps it was a fake?"

"It was him. I'm certain of it," Alphamon said adamantly, clenching his fists on the rain-soaked railing.

"Omegamon wouldn't betray us," Magnamon announced. "I'm certain of that."

"So am I," Dukemon agreed.

"Perhaps, but that begs the question of what did change him. Perhaps a Digimon with the ability to manipulate the mind or emotions?" Duftmon mused.

"I wouldn't put anything past DarkKnightmon anymore," Dukemon said with slitted eyes.

"More importantly, how do we get him back?" Alphamon asked, turning back around to face them.

"I order to find a 'remedy', to put it crudely, we must first understand the cause," Duftmon responded.

"I highly doubt any of them will just tell us," RhodoKnightmon said. "DarkKnightmon is insisting that Omegamon joined him out of his own free will."

"Well, he would," Dukemon answered. "He still thinks that he's right and we're wrong."

Magnamon nodded. "We should get back to the troops, shouldn't we?" he suggested. "They'll want to know what's going on."

"Yes. Very well," Alphamon said, spreading his wings and preparing to take flight.

"Two unknowns incoming from the north!" a scout announced from further down the line.

The Royal Knights turned towards the voice and prepared for action.

"Hold your fire!" a second voice shouted. "It's Sir Sleipmon and Sir UlforceVeedramon!"

"Captain OuRyuumon's with them!" another voice exclaimed.

Alphamon's eyes widened. He broke from the group and ran along the ramparts, followed by the other Royal Knights. They rushed to see them. Alphamon stopped when he saw two figures in the rain, running and flying along the outside of the damaged wall. It was Sleipmon and UlforceVeedramon, with OuRyuumon draped over Sleipmon's back.

Relief flooded through the Royal Knights. It seemed like a foreign emotion at this point. Although they had parted on bad terms, Alphamon was pleased to see OuRyuumon again, although he wasn't without both worry and trepidation as well.

"Open the gate!"

* * *

><p>A few minutes passed and the Royal Knights gathered in the courtyard just beyond the castle gate. Sleipmon and UlforceVeedramon walked towards the group. OuRyuumon glanced at Alphamon uncertainly from his place on Sleipmon's back.<p>

"What the hell happened here?" UlforceVeedramon asked them, turning towards the wall, which smoke and the vestiges of beam attacks still drifted and lingered from.

"We were attacked?" Sleipmon inquired with furrowed brows.

"By DarkKnightmon," Alphamon replied grimly. "No casualties. A few injured." The Lord of the Empty Seat's gaze met with OuRyuumon's. He looked at him for a few moments before looking back up at Sleipmon and UlforceVeedramon. "What happened with your group? Where are Dynasmon and Craniamon?"

"Securing Lupolford," UlforceVeedramon responded. "It was DarkKnightmon's base all along."

"Dorbickmon was threatening the mayor; if he didn't keep their secret, Dorbickmon would attack the town," Sleipmon added.

"They were holding OuRyuumon there," the blue knight went on. "As you can tell, we freed him, but there was a big fight between us and Dorbickmon and some mercenaries. The town hall was destroyed and he started attacking the town, but I think we drove him off. We need to send a brigade of Shield Guards up to Lupolford in case they come back." UlforceVeedramon glanced back at the wall. "But if…"

"No… I doubt they'll attack here again so soon," Alphamon said. He glanced back at OuRyuumon.

"Also…" Sleipmon began with a grim expression, but he stopped when he felt movement on his back.

With a pained grunt, OuRyuumon pushed himself up and slid off Sleipmon's back. He landed on his feet and wobbled a bit, still having trouble standing with his injuries, but he held onto Sleipmon and kept himself up.

"Don't strain yourself, big guy," UlforceVeedramon told him.

"A-Alphamon…" OuRyuumon said through pained breaths. He looked at Alphamon with a gaze that held many emotions in his eyes: sadness, guilt, and uncertainty, among many more. "It's… about Omegamon…"

Alphamon grimaced. "We… know," he responded. "He attacked us along with DarkKnightmon and MirageGaogamon."

"What we don't know is why…" Magnamon said.

"S'not his fault…" OuRyuumon said, having to hunch over slightly from the pain in his chest. "It was DarkKnightmon…"

"There was a dark rift in the town hall," Sleipmon explained. "He used its dark data to corrupt Omegamon."

Alphamon narrowed his eyes. "…I see…" He closed them again and tried to allow himself to relax. He looked at OuRyuumon with a concerned stare. "OuRyuumon… Are you alright?"

OuRyuumon stalled. After a moment, he spoke. "I'm okay."

"He was badly beaten," Sleipmon corrected. "I think he may have a fractured rib."

"And he's missing a tooth," UlforceVeedramon added.

"It'll grow back…" OuRyuumon muttered.

"He's more concerned about getting his swords back," UlforceVeedramon said with a chuckle.

Alphamon smiled a bit and walked towards OuRyuumon. "I'm… glad you're safe," he told him. "Let me help you to the medical bay."

"…You sure?" OuRyuumon asked sceptically. "You're not busy with… command stuff?"

"We've got it covered," Dukemon said, giving Alphamon a meaningful look. "You make sure OuRyuumon gets to Duskmon in one piece. And tell Examon what happened while you're there."

"…Examon's hurt?" OuRyuumon questioned.

"He was ambushed by Dorbickmon," RhodoKnightmon explained.

OuRyuumon frowned.

"You put us through a lot of trouble with your utter stupidity, I hope you realise," Duftmon chastised him.

However, instead of the biting comeback that everybody was expecting, OuRyuumon said, "I know… I'm sorry."

"…Allow me," Alphamon said, taking OuRyuumon's arm and gently putting it around his winged shoulders to help OuRyuumon stand.

"Thanks…" OuRyuumon muttered in reply.

There was an unmistakeable tension between the two, though it was only noticeable to Dukemon, who knew the truth of the matter.

"Come on, guys," Dukemon said. "Let's get back to the troops and prepare a team to reinforce Lupolford. Lots to do."

The Royal Knights nodded and went off, leaving Alphamon to take OuRyuumon inside. The two exchanged uncertain, uncomfortable looks before slowly walking side by side towards the entrance of the main building, which two guards rushed to open for them.

As they heard the door close behind them, they stepped into the entrance hall. Alphamon glanced at OuRyuumon and saw some remnants of dried blood caked down his face and neck, although most had been washed away by the rain. "Are you badly hurt?" he asked him.

"No…" OuRyuumon answered, trying not to let himself wince as they walked.

"…You're putting on a brave face," Alphamon told him. "I know you too well."

The gold dragon Digimon glanced away quietly. They walked for a few more meters before he made himself speak up. "Alphamon… I…" He paused. "I'm really sorry…" he told him, his cheeks burning. He was always bad at apologies.

Alphamon was temporarily quiet as they walked down the hall. He looked over at OuRyuumon. "So am I, OuRyuumon… Very sorry…"

OuRyuumon braved a look in Alphamon's direction. "But… it's not that simple, is it?" he said knowingly.

Alphamon grew silent again.

"I'm not trying to be selfish here…" he told him. "There's a lot going on, I know. Omegamon's, well…" He trailed off and sighed. "I just want to know where we stand…"

The black knight looked down at the floor as he walked them up to the foyer. "…Rejoin the Order, OuRyuumon," he told him. "Your old job. Captain of the Strike Forces… That is, if you still want to…" he sheepishly replied.

"I do… Thanks, Alphamon," OuRyuumon said to him. He gave a small grin. "I think Dad and I would've driven each other crazy if I went to work at the smithy."

Alphamon gave him a brief smile, although it quickly disappeared.

OuRyuumon picked up on his body language. "But you and I…" he said, his words lingering. "We're finished?"

"Not 'finished'…" Alphamon responded with a pensive sadness. "I just… think we need a break for a little while."

After a moment, OuRyuumon gave a brief nod. "Yeah… I think so too," he said. "I still love you, Alphamon, but… well, the timing isn't right, is it? …And we both said and did some things… It's not like we can just pick up where we left off."

Alphamon nodded in agreement. "I still can't quite get over…" Alphamon sighed and decided against explicitly bringing up what happened between OuRyuumon and DarkKnightmon, not wanting to start another argument. "Well, there were arrows launched from both sides; there's a lot of mending to be done," he said. "And I don't think now's the right time to do that. Not with DarkKnightmon and Omegamon and everything else that's going on." He sighed and looked into OuRyuumon's violet eyes. "But I do still love you, and I'm willing to make the effort, if you are… Just… later. After some time has passed and this ordeal is over with, maybe."

"Yeah… I get it," OuRyuumon answered. "I'm willing." He grinned a bit. "Bet it's weird seeing me so mature and agreeable, huh…? Well, when I wasn't being used as a punching bag, I had a lot of time to think…"

"Over-thinking can be just as bad. That's what I've been doing these past several days," Alphamon admitted.

"Yeah, that's you in a nutshell…" he told him, grinning weakly. OuRyuumon glanced at Alphamon. "So… we good? All things considered, I mean…"

"All things considered… we're good," Alphamon responded. "Let's just… take things slowly and focus on the tasks at hand."

OuRyuumon nodded. "Yeah. Deal…"

Alphamon nodded and helped his friend down towards the medical bay. The two of them walked in silence.


	33. Chapter 24 Part 1: Burning the Past

(Author's Notes: Sorry for the wait. I've been getting a lot of writing done, but I forgot to post. Also, this chapter was 30 pages, so I decided to split it in two to make it more manageable. Enjoy the chapter. I'll post the second part soon.)

**Chapter 24: Burning the Past (Part I)**

The rain continued to flood down from the sky as DarkKnightmon flew alone towards Lupolford. He was confident; after his successful-albeit-brief attack that morning, not even the rainwater filling up his armour would sully his mood.

His plan was coming together like he hoped, slowly but surely. He took a minor victory here, a greater victory there, and even a fleeting blow, just as long as they were beneficial to his aims in the long run. He was calculating and he was patient. As the smaller, disadvantaged opponent to the powerful, well-financed, and well-organized Order, he had to use his mind to deliver his attacks just as much as he did his spear. He had to use psychological and guerilla warfare if he wanted to topple the Order, and he already knew what his next move would be.

He, MirageGaogamon, and Omegamon Zwart had split up during their retreat from the Royal Knights' headquarters, as a countermeasure in case they had been followed. He didn't want to lead the Knights to his base of operations in Lupolford.

DarkKnightmon could see the town in question in the distance. The dark silhouettes of the stone buildings were obscured by the rain, but visible enough for the knight to notice them. He headed towards it, flying at a leisurely pace.

Upon reaching the edge of town, he stopped in the air. He sensed that something wasn't right. The town was unnaturally quiet and he noticed the smell of damp smoke in the air. Frowning suspiciously, he flew further into the town, heading directly for the town hall. However, when he did this, he noticed that the silhouette of the town hall was mysteriously absent. DarkKnightmon just thought that the rain may have been too thick for him to see it, so he continued forwards a bit further.

That was when he stopped. The pungent scent of smoke, dust, and ozone from attacks clotted the air. DarkKnightmon looked before him at the source and saw not the town hall, but a giant pile collapsed rubble. At the realization of what might have happened, DarkKnightmon bowed his head. His yellow eyes narrowed and his face darkened.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grip his shoulder firmly. Right as he began to turn around, he heard a voice.

"Sir. Come with me. Immediately," MirageGaogamon's voice told him. There was a sense of authority and danger in his tone. DarkKnightmon was about to speak, but the sight of something on the ground stopped him. It was Craniamon, walking down one of the adjacent streets, weapon and shield in hand, with his back to them. DarkKnightmon nodded.

MirageGaogamon let go and flew swiftly through the air, prompting DarkKnightmon to follow after him. They soared over the buildings and headed out of town before they could be spotted.

Despite passing the outskirts of Lupolford, MirageGaogamon didn't slow his hurried pace. Many minutes passed and it wasn't until about two kilometers that he finally slowed down. DarkKnightmon looked ahead of him and saw a grove of four trees sticking out in the grassy plain.

MirageGaogamon dived down under their canopies and landed between the trees. DarkKnightmon followed him. As he drew closer, he saw Omegamon Zwart, a few leaders of the mercenary teams he hired, and Dorbickmon, who was lying against a tree, appeared to be wounded.

DarkKnightmon set down beside MirageGaogamon and turned to Dorbickmon. "Dorbickmon. What in the hell happened?" he demanded.

Dorbickmon looked up at DarkKnightmon with an annoyed glare. As he rested with his back against the tree trunk, he clutched the bloody arrow wound in his shoulder, trying to make sure that the flow of blood was staunched. "What happened? The slippery little shit ratted us out. That's what happened," he bitterly replied, spitting.

"Wolfmon?" DarkKnightmon asked.

"But you assured us you had him under control," MirageGaogamon accused, narrowing his eyes at Dorbickmon.

The wounded dragon turned his glare to MirageGaogamon. "I _did_. Up until your old friends turned up for an unannounced inspection. Dynasmon, Craniamon, Sleipmon, and UlforceVeedramon… They questioned him and the coward panicked and spilled everything," he growled. "Speaking of cowards, the only mercenaries around when everything went to shit were a handful of the Cimmerian Adventurers, and they turned tail as soon as they realized that the Royal Knights were going to put up a little bit of resistance. If these guys were around like they were supposed to be, maybe we wouldn't've lost our base!" he added with a nod to the nearby mercenaries.

"I sure hope you're not blaming _us_, Dorbickmon," responded a Beowolfmon, the leader of the Licht Gruppe. The white-garbed humanoid folded his arms and leered down at the dragon. "If this is anyone's fault, it's the Cimmerian Adventurers. I told you we couldn't trust those two-faced shadow dwellers. Unlike them, the Licht Gruppe actually cares about changing things for the better."

"If that's true, where were you guys earlier?" Dorbickmon asked accusingly.

"Hey, we had a job on the side," Vikemon of the Valancers defended. The large, furry, mammal Digimon leaned against one of the other trees. "While we're definitely against the way the RKs work, this is still a business. We have to get money in the meantime _somehow_ while on a long job like this. Me and my team has to eat."

"Yeah," agreed Triceramon X of the Dune Troopers. "We want the Royal Knights out of everybody's business too, but we don't do _anything_ for free." The green triceratops Digimon glanced over at DarkKnightmon. "Speaking of which, how the hell are we gonna get our money now that your hideout is a pile of rubble? That's how you were going to pay us, wasn't it? Using that Anubismon guy's leftover money since you're fresh out've the Dark Area?"

"Good point," Vikemon agreed, eyeing their employer. "Are you going to go ask the Royal Knights to help you unbury it?"

"That's enough," MirageGaogamon warned them, taking a step forwards.

"It's fine, MirageGaogamon," DarkKnightmon assured him. "It's a perfectly understandable question, given the unfortunate circumstances." He looked at the three mercenary leaders in question. "Do not worry. You will get the money you were promised."

"How?" Vikemon questioned.

"I have estates in the Dark Area," DarkKnightmon responded, although he didn't go into details.

"And just how much are these estates worth in the actual world?" challenged the sceptical dinosaur.

DarkKnightmon turned to him. "If our partnership is going to last, you are going to have to trust me," he explained. "I promised you payment, so you'll get it."

"Not a lot of merit in the promise of an oath breaker," Triceramon X muttered.

At this, MirageGaogamon scowled and took a menacing step forwards. "What was that?" he threatened, moving his bladed claws forwards.

"MirageGaogamon," DarkKnightmon stopped him. He stepped in front of Triceramon X and stared the bulky, X-antibody dinosaur in the face. "I'll put this to you, then. You can either trust me on my word or you can dissolve our partnership and go back with your tail between your legs to the true leader of the Dune Troopers. I'm sure he would want an explanation for why you took several others and went off independently without his permission, and why you came back with absolutely nothing to show for it. Would you rather make a name for yourself like you wanted to? Or go back to your leader who, from what I hear, is decidedly lacking in tolerance for incompetence?"

Triceramon X grunted and his gaze strayed to the side. "Fine, but I'm holding you to your word," he replied. "I'm getting out of here before Dynasmon makes another pass this way. Me and my team'll be at the inn a town over when you decide what to do next."

"Thank you," DarkKnightmon told him.

MirageGaogamon cast Triceramon X a cold stare as he began to walk away, out into the rain.

"I should get back to my Digimon as well," Beowolfmon explained. "Where will you four be staying now?"

"Another province in the Free Area," DarkKnightmon responded. "Only temporarily. We need to be especially careful during this next week, in light of current events."

"What does this mean for your plans?" Vikemon asked.

"All this means is that I will have to speed my plans up," the dark knight Digimon assured them. "Don't worry. This is just a minor setback."

"Good. Keep in touch," Vikemon told him, going and walking after Triceramon X.

Beowolfmon waited a few minutes before walking off in a different direction, careful of the Royal Knight activity in the nearby town.

When he was gone, Omegamon Zwart turned to Dorbickmon. "How are your wounds?" he questioned.

"Hurts, but I won't bleed to death and I'm not losing data; I'll be fine," Dorbickmon responded.

"Wonderful," MirageGaogamon muttered sarcastically. "Our base would have been nice to keep, though."

"Hey, you try taking on four Royal Knights singlehanded," Dorbickmon growled. He then smirked. "Oh, wait. You couldn't even beat OuRyuumon, from what I heard."

MirageGaogamon narrowed his eyes at Dorbickmon. "You couldn't even keep that mayor in line."

"Enough bickering," Omegamon Zwart said sharply.

Dorbickmon grunted and glanced at DarkKnightmon, who seemed to be thinking hard. "Hey, DarkKnightmon. You were bluffing before, weren't you? About the money."

DarkKnightmon glanced at him wordlessly.

"As someone with personal knowledge on mercenaries, you're gonna need to get that cash somehow," Dorbickmon informed him with a sideways grin. "Those Licht Gruppe guys might be crusaders for your cause, but the others? Their loyalty comes with their paycheck. That's just how a lot of mercs operate. And, trust me, you don't want them questioning their loyalties in the middle of a decisive fight. I've seen a lot of fights go bad because the mercenaries decided to defect."

"…They'll get their money," DarkKnightmon assured him. "I may not have it now, but I will once the Royal Knights fall apart. The wealth they have at their disposal will be mine. That's how I'll pay them off."

"Okay, but don't let them hear you say that," Dorbickmon responded. "They won't follow you into battle on hypothetical wealth."

"I won't tell them," DarkKnightmon said firmly. "If you want to talk about hypotheticals, either everything goes to plan and we commandeer the demoralized and fractured Order as planned or we fail and it won't matter if they're paid anyways. The latter won't happen."

"Okay… So what's next?" Dorbickmon asked.

"Omegamon Zwart will take you somewhere for healing. MirageGaogamon and I will go and hire more mercenary teams with our 'hypothetical wealth'."

"But, sir, didn't we gather as many as we could before?" MirageGaogamon questioned.

"That was back when we could afford to be concerned about scruples," DarkKnightmon answered. "Kowloon Company may be shady, but we need strength more than we do ethical associates at the moment."

"Kowloon? But DarkKnightmon… their reputation isn't exactly clean…"

"Yes, but they're the largest mercenary company in the area or perhaps on the entire continent. They are a means to an end that we can wash our hands of once we're done with their services. Trust me, MirageGaogamon, I don't want to work with them, but circumstances necessitate that we do. Especially after today."

MirageGaogamon frowned uncertainly. "Very well..."

DarkKnightmon nodded. "One more thing, Dorbickmon… What happened to OuRyuumon?" he wondered.

"Rescued by Sleipmon," Dorbickmon explained.

DarkKnightmon paused. "…Fine. Now, then. Let's get moving before the Royal Knights reach this area."

* * *

><p>Five days passed since the day of the attack. The Defence Forces were on Guard Level: 2, which meant there was an increased number of patrols which stretched a greater perimeter, and more guards on duty. After the day's relatively chaotic and slugging response, it also meant more combat drills for the soldiers.<p>

Masons were hard at work, repairing the wall, which took some heavy hits in the fighting. It involved dismantling the damaged sections of wall and rebuilding them from scratch.

Additionally, there was a sizeable Royal Knight forces garrison stationed in Lupolford, to deter anybody from returning there. The scouts and spies were trying to locate DarkKnightmon's forces in the meantime.

The Royal Knights were preparing in any way that they could.

In the headquarters' small chapel, Alphamon kneeled in the nave, in front of the white altar. He faced the stained glass window, which portrayed an interpretation of Yggdrasil in magnificent splendour. On his left, he was flanked by a few, narrow, lancet windows which allowed a bit of tinted light into the humble chapel. His eyes were closed and his hands were clasped in front of him as he thought to himself.

When his moment of private introspection was over, Alphamon stood to his feet and bowed his head for a moment. Next, he turned around and walked down the aisle, towards the chapel's exit. He stepped out of the room and turned down the hallway.

As he walked, Alphamon noticed a gold figured turn the next corner and walk towards him. "OuRyuumon…" he greeted with some surprise and a hint of uncertainty.

OuRyuumon stopped upon seeing Alphamon. He had bandages wrapped around the upper third of his body, but he looked a lot better than he did several days ago. "Oh, hey, Alphamon," he replied, blinking.

They both stood there, waiting for the other to say something. It created an uncomfortable silence that OuRyuumon was quick to try to break.

"Were you at the chapel?" OuRyuumon asked, looking over the black knight's shoulder.

"Yes, I was. …Have you come to connect with Yggdrasil?" Alphamon asked with a small, knowing smile on his face.

"You know I don't believe in that stuff," OuRyuumon said with a small grin of his own. "Guess that's another reason I won't become a Royal Knight huh?"

The smile on Alphamon's face faded. "OuRyuumon…"

"Sorry…" OuRyuumon replied, catching himself and rubbing the nape of his neck. "Bad habit."

"It's fine…" Alphamon stalled. "So… What are you doing? Should you even be up?"

"I'm feeling a lot better now. Duskmon's just being a hard-ass," OuRyuumon said with a shrug.

Alphamon frowned and looked at him sceptically. "Duskmon knows what he's talking about. If he says you should rest…"

"I'm just stretching my legs a bit," the dragon insisted. "And I was wondering how you were doing."

"Fine. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, actually," Alphamon told him. "Can we go up to my room?"

"Uh oh," OuRyuumon said. "Sounds ominous already."

Alphamon smiled a bit. "Come on."

He led OuRyuumon up to the second level of the headquarters and down a hallway to his room.

"So…" the Captain said apprehensively as he walked into Alphamon's room. "What's up?"

"Sit down," Alphamon offered, closing the door and walking to the center of the room.

OuRyuumon hesitated but soon decided to sit down on the desk chair.

Alphamon went and sat on his bed. He looked across at OuRyuumon. "It's about you, me, and DarkKnightmon."

The dragon exhaled and glanced off to the side. "You mean when I pushed him, don't you?" he said, sounding guilty and slightly defensive.

"No… Not that," Alphamon told him, although it sounded like he was holding back words. "I don't want to linger on things that happened in the past… I've done too much of that lately and it hasn't helped me at all."

OuRyuumon looked back at Alphamon with inquisitive violet eyes. "Then… what?"

"Omegamon…" Alphamon spoke, his lips lingering on the name. "He still has his memories."

"Yeah… he does," OuRyuumon responded, wincing.

"He knows about you and me. That we were together," the Lord of the Empty Seat explained. "How long until he tells DarkKnightmon? You know what DarkKnightmon would do with that… He would use it to drive a wedge between us and the other knights, between the Order and those we defend."

"I see your point…" OuRyuumon replied, although he was beginning to feel a sense of dread lingering in the room. "What d'you suggest?"

"I'm not making the mistake I made with Omegamon again…" Alphamon told his resolutely. "I think we should tell the others."

OuRyuumon tensed up. "You mean… come out?" he asked him hesitantly.

Alphamon nodded. "If we don't tell them, you can be sure that DarkKnightmon will," he said with a sigh. "It's better that they hear it from us…" Alphamon paused and thought to himself before speaking again. "Besides… I want to tell them. I'm tired of lying to my friends."

"I… see…" OuRyuumon responded, the doubt obvious in his voice. Despite that, he gave Alphamon a small smile. "I'm proud of you… I always said you should do this sooner."

"I can't exactly say that it's brave… not when a sword is hovering over my head, threatening to drop at any minute," Alphamon countered.

"It still takes some guts, Alphamon. I know the responsibilities you have, being the leader of the Royal Knights, and the image that comes with that. I get it, you know?"

"Thanks…" Alphamon replied. "I know it's not fair that you're dragged into this too, but if I'm going to confess, it needs to be the whole truth."

"Yeah… I know…" OuRyuumon said with a sigh of resignation. "I'll be fine after a few drinks… Who knows? After all the jokes and teasing, maybe it'll feel good to have this weight off my chest, finally…"

Alphamon eyed OuRyuumon. "So… You're with me? It would help my confidence doing it with you."

OuRyuumon gave Alphamon a reassuring smile. "I'm _always_ with you, Alphamon. I've been your friend ever since you were a furry, little DORUmon. Of course I'm doing this with you."

Alphamon smiled at him graciously. "Thanks…" The smile faded a bit. "I have a confession to make first…"

"Let me guess… You're bi?" OuRyuumon joked.

"Funny," Alphamon dryly replied. "After our argument… I told Dukemon."

OuRyuumon's eyes widened. "Wh-What? You… You mean…?"

Alphamon looked down in shame. "Yeah… Everything. Including you and me. I'm sorry… I know it wasn't my secret to tell, but I really needed to talk to somebody. I apologize…"

OuRyuumon grimaced a bit. "Er… How did he take it?" he asked while trying to decide whether he was angry or not.

"Dukemon has been really supportive… He's a good friend."

After a few moments of thought, OuRyuumon sighed and shook his head. "It's fine… One less person we need to tell," he assured Alphamon. "So… when do you want to do this?"

Alphamon paused and frowned. "…Now?" he asked, looking up at OuRyuumon. "Before we can think of excuses to procrastinate."

OuRyuumon sighed and dragged himself to his feet with a miserable expression on his face. "Damn… Fine… At least let me get a few beers in me first."

Alphamon smirked a bit and stood to his feet. "Okay. I'll chaperone you. …I might need one to loosen my nerves too."

* * *

><p>An hour passed.<p>

A meeting had been called. Alphamon had gathered the Royal Knights and Captains to the council room to tell them of his and OuRyuumon's 'news'.

He and the dragon captain stood before the knights with discomfort apparent in their stance. The deafening silence that hung over the room unnerved the two further as everybody took in the revelation. They watched with trepidation and anxiety as eyes widened and jaws dropped.

"So… yes," Alphamon said, feeling like his voice was a sword slicing harshly and sloppily through the silence. "I like members of both genders… in that way. OuRyuumon here's gay -" He thumbed to the dragon beside him. OuRyuumon's face was as red as Grani's back and he was looking away with an embarrassed, defensive scowl. "- and we were in a relationship…"

As his voice trailed off, the silence that he tried to stave off soon crept back over the room.

Until…

"I KNEW IT!" RhodoKnightmon shouted triumphantly. "I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!"

This only served to embarrass the two more. Alphamon palmed his heated face and OuRyuumon looked like he wanted to either kill something or jump out the window.

"You thought that Alphamon and Omegamon had a thing, if I remember right, Rhodo," UlforceVeedramon responded with an awkward grin.

"Oh, shush."

"Well, as far as I'm considered, this doesn't change anything," Dukemon announced to the others, walking forwards to visibly give the pair his support.

"I… Yeah… Dukemon's right," Sleipmon agreed after collecting himself and his thoughts.

"Yeah, sure…" UlforceVeedramon added, folding his arms. "I mean, we have RhodoKnightmon and nobody has a problem with him…" He glanced over at the pink knight, who folded his arms and was looking very pleased with himself. "_Most_ of the time…" Ulforce made sure to add.

"That's true…" Magnamon responded, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not like they changed overnight or anything…"

"It feels like it, though," Craniamon countered, frowning to himself.

Dynasmon stood with a foul expression on his face.

"Craniamon," Dukemon said disapprovingly, looking over at him.

"It's not as simple as you're all making it out to be," Craniamon retorted, leering at Dukemon. "We're supposed to just shrug something like this off?"

Alphamon bowed his head slightly. "I apologize for not saying anything sooner, but it's a delicate matter."

"'Delicate' nothing!" Duftmon protested with a glare. "I… can't believe what I'm hearing! Our leader is… is…"

"Is _what_?" OuRyuumon snarled defensively. "Spit it out. Or are ya choking on a furball? Well? What are we?"

"Liars," a voice that wasn't Duftmon's spoke.

Alphamon looked over at Dynasmon, who was glaring at him with a look of betrayal in his angry red eyes.

"Dynasmon?" Magnamon asked with surprise, looking up at the dragon man beside him.

"How long?" Dynasmon asked, taking a step towards Alphamon. "How long have you been keeping this from us?"

Alphamon grimaced as he saw his friend approach. He was expecting a reaction like this, especially after Omegamon. "…A few years. Roughly three years since OuRyuumon and I… started a relationship."

Dynasmon stared at him fleeting look of hurt rage and looked away. "Oh… Is that all?" he muttered sarcastically.

"It isn't as bad as it sounds, Dynasmon," Alphamon told him in a pleading tone. "Trust me. Just-"

"That's rich! Trust you… You say that when you keep something this big for three years. …Trust is a two way street. You made it completely clear you don't trust us at all." Dynasmon walked forwards and nudged past Alphamon roughly. "Old buddy."

With a wince, Alphamon looked over his shoulder at the Royal Knight as he headed for the exit of the chamber. "Dynasmon…" he said, hoping to stop him. However, Dynasmon left without so much as a glance.

"Maybe I should go after him," Magnamon spoke with a worried frown. "He's probably just surprised."

"Leave him to cool down, Magna…" Dukemon answered, his voice sounding pensive.

"…See?" Craniamon said. "Can't just act like nothing's different. Perspectives change."

"_We_ aren't different, Craniamon," Alphamon told him adamantly, turning to the violet knight.

"Oh, you're different alright," Duftmon sarcastically muttered.

"Funny, I don't remember the last time I've seen _you_ with a female Digimon," OuRyuumon shot back at Duftmon. "I bet Alphamon's slept with more women than you ever have."

Alphamon rubbed his temples with annoyance. OuRyuumon wasn't helping. "OuRyuumon…"

"You really are a fool," Duftmon told the dragon.

"Least I'm not a bigot," OuRyuumon retorted with a snarl.

"Alphamon is our leader!" Duftmon protested. "What he does in his private life reflects upon the entire Order!"

"You're turning a crack into a chasm, Duftmon," Magnamon said diplomatically. "Even if they have been keeping this a secret for awhile, it isn't that big of a deal. Digimon respect Alphamon for his deeds, not his…" Magnamon trailed off as he sheepishly tried to think of the right word to use. "Preferences."

"You always have been naively optimistic, Magnamon," Duftmon responded.

"And you've always been a cynic," Magnamon argued back.

"Realist," Duftmon corrected succinctly.

"I think that's the creed of cynics everywhere," UlforceVeedramon said with a grin.

Duftmon ignored him. "You should have kept your abnormal hobby to yourselves; now everybody will hear of this."

"It is not an abnormal hobby, Duftmon," Alphamon countered. "If you don't agree with it, then that's your business. I've hidden who I am for far too long because I've been worried about what others would say or think. I'll leave it to the members of our Order and the Digimon of the Digital World to decide what they think of me. I'll decide my next move from there." He folded his arms and looked at Duftmon steadily. "If you are so bothered by me, I will understand if you want to resign, although I hope that, with all that we've been through together, it won't have to come to that."

Duftmon took on a thoughtful expression as he considered Alphamon's words. The strategist closed his eyes. "…A resignation won't be necessary," he answered. "My strategic and organizational skills are a huge asset to the Order. As well, the Order of the Royal Knights is too valuable for personal differences to deter its effectiveness, especially at a sensitive time such as now. I may not agree with your… salacious inclinations… but I am willing to look past it for the sake of the Order. That's the reason why I'm so concerned. I'm worried about the effects it will have on the Order."

UlforceVeedramon nudged Dukemon and leaned over to whisper. "He makes it sound like he's doing us a favour when he really just doesn't want to resign," he said with a quiet laugh.

"That's Duftmon alright. Big brain; bigger ego," Dukemon whispered back.

"Thank you, Duftmon," Alphamon said to him. "It's just too bad that someone with as great a mind as yours chooses to keep it closed so often…"

"Rm," Duftmon grunted in thoughtful response. "Well. I've made my feelings clear. I shall retire to my room." The leopard knight began to walk towards the doors, which were left open when Dynasmon stormed out. As he passed Alphamon and OuRyuumon, he muttered to himself. "Though it suddenly makes sense why OuRyuumon has stuck around for so long…"

"What?!" OuRyuumon shouted upon overhearing him. "Say that again, puss-"

"OuRyuumon," Alphamon warned his friend. "Leave it."

OuRyuumon scoffed and folded his arms, reluctantly obeying.

Duftmon turned his nose up and flicked his blond hair over his shoulder as he turned towards one of the great hall doors.

"_Could have been worse…_" Alphamon supposed to himself. He then turned his gaze to Craniamon. "I know this must be a shock…"

"It is," Craniamon tersely replied. "I can't just accept it immediately like everybody else here. I'm sticking by you and the Order, but… I need time. To get used to the idea and get past the secrets."

"I understand," Alphamon replied, nodding his head. "It's a lot to take in. That said, nobody feels worse than I do about keeping all of you in the dark. It doesn't reflect on how I feel about any of you."

"We understand it must have been tough, Alphamon," Sleipmon assured him. "It has been a huge shock, but I think we get it."

Magnamon nodded in agreement. "Now more than ever, it's important that we all stick together."

"…You've been quiet, Examon," OuRyuumon said, eyeing him suspiciously.

Examon rubbed the back of his neck. "It's your own private business. I'm just the new guy," he told them.

"We're equals here," Alphamon replied. "If you have an opinion, you're free to speak it."

"Thanks, but I don't have an opinion one way or another. I won't question who somebody chooses to love," Examon explained.

"Was that a dig at me?" OuRyuumon muttered.

UlforceVeedramon laughed. "That'd mean Ex-sama had a sense of humour," he teased the dragon. "So… you and Alphamon are a couple?"

"Err…" Alphamon stalled and he and OuRyuumon exchanged glanced. "We're on a break."

"Now, now. Lovers shouldn't fight," RhodoKnightmon explained.

OuRyuumon's eye twitched. "We said what we had to say. Let's drop the damn subject now, okay?"

"You're not getting off that easily, OuRyuumon," UlforceVeedramon said with a smirk.

Craniamon made to leave, but he stopped when he saw a Digimon flying down the great hall towards them at a hurried pace. It was a small, owl Digimon.

"Excuse me. I'm very sorry to interrupt, but… Grani sir?" the Falcomon asked, looking over at Zero ARMS: Grani.

"Falcomon? What is it?" Grani asked, hovering over.

"Uh, well…" He looked over at the other Royal Knights hesitantly, unsure if he was interrupting or not.

"Go ahead, Falcomon," Alphamon told him. "We're just finishing here anyways."

"Very well… Thunderbirdmon is back from his patrol," Falcomon began. "It's the United Draconic Coalition. It's under attack."

Examon stepped forwards. "What?" he asked in a low voice.

"By who?" Alphamon followed up. "Where, exactly?"

"The town of Wyrm's Edge. It's under attack by… a single Dorbickmon."

Examon froze.

Dukemon turned and looked at Examon to see his stunned reaction. The dragon knight's green eyes grew large with shock.

"Is it the same one that we've dealt with?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

"He had the scars matching your description," Falcomon replied.

"Thunderbirdmon's sure he was alone? …What could he be thinking?" Alphamon wondered, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger.

"I'll deal with this," Examon suddenly announced. "And I'd like to go alone."

"What?" Alphamon asked, turning towards him with surprise.

"That's not a good idea, Examon," Magnamon told him.

"Yeah," UlforceVeedramon concurred. "You got your butt kicked by him last time."

"Can't blame him for wanting payback," Craniamon admitted, folding his arms across his broad chest. "It's a bad idea, though. It sounds like a trap."

"That's a risk I'm going to take," Examon said with determination.

Dukemon eyed him carefully.

"Examon, we know that the UDC is your home, but we have to be smart about this," RhodoKnightmon responded.

"You don't understand," Examon responded, frowning. "You're going to have to trust me."

"'Trust' isn't having a great day today," Craniamon said pointedly, glancing at Alphamon and OuRyuumon.

"…Tell them, Examon," Dukemon said to him. "They should know."

"Dukemon…" Examon muttered in response, a bit agitated that Dukemon just made it clear that he had been hiding something.

"Tell us what?" Sleipmon asked him.

"Yeah, we might as well get all the secrets out now," UlforceVeedramon said. "Alphamon? Once, I blew my nose on your cape."

"…Thanks for that," Alphamon deadpanned. He turned to Examon. "Please, Examon. Ulforce is right. It's best to have the truth, especially when DarkKnightmon will use any secret he can against us."

Examon frowned deeply, but nodded in compliance. "Fine… I wasn't sure whether to say anything before…" he replied with a sigh. "Dorbickmon and I know each other."

Craniamon narrowed his eyes at Examon. "And you didn't think to tell us this?" he asked him. "You're lucky Duftmon isn't here; he'd have thrown a fit."

"How do you know each other?" Alphamon asked patiently.

Examon stalled. "…We were close friends as children."

"This would have been good to know awhile ago…" Magnamon said sceptically. "Why keep this from us?"

"I was ashamed," Examon admitted, glancing down at the floor. "It's my fault he's our enemy. When we were young, there was an accident where he touched my reverse scale."

"Ah, the gekerin…" UlforceVeedramon observed.

"The what?" RhodoKnightmon asked.

"It's a special scale that Dracomons and Coredramons have," the cobalt dragon knight explained. "It's incredibly sensitive, so when it's touched, it sends its owner into an uncontrollable rage."

Examon nodded and cringed. "So, I went wild… I wounded him severely when it happened. I should have gone for help but I… I panicked. I ran and never returned. I regret that more than anything…" Examon told them. "Now Dorbickmon's the Digimon who he is because of that, and he wants to get revenge on me."

"I… see…" Alphamon replied pensively.

Examon bowed his head. "I understand if you want to dismiss me from the Order."

"I don't," the Lord of the Empty Seat explained. "I'm sure we've all done things in our pasts that we regret. I know I have." He walked up to Examon and placed his hand on the dragon's spiked shoulder. "None of us are flawless, Examon. To be a Royal Knight is to do your very best in spite of that."

"Thank you, Alphamon. I appreciate that," Examon replied gratefully. "I'd still like to go alone, though."

"I can't allow that in good conscience," Alphamon told the dragon.

"The town he's attacking, Wyrm's Edge, it's our hometown," Examon replied. "He's sending me a message."

"That's all the more reason why I can't let you go alone."

"I'll go with him," Dukemon proclaimed.

Examon turned to him with surprise. "You will?"

"Yeah, and you don't get to argue about it."

Examon gave him a sideways glance before rolling his eyes with defeat. "Fine…"

"Tread carefully," Alphamon told them. "It could very well be an ambush set up by DarkKnightmon. If it is…"

"Yeah, we know," Dukemon replied, giving Alphamon a reassuring smile. "We'll be careful."

"I'm afraid I can't come with you, Dukemon," Grani told him apologetically. "I'm very busy trying to locate our enemies."

"It's fine, Grani," the crimson knight assured him. "I need the exercise anyways."

"How true," Grani teased.

"Shut it, bird," Dukemon answered playfully.

"So… are we done here?" Craniamon asked.

"Yeah, I believe so," Alphamon responded, glancing at Craniamon uncertainly.

Craniamon nodded and walked out silently.

Magnamon looked at Dukemon and Examon. "Want me to come along?"

"I think we're okay, Magna," Dukemon replied.

"If you're sure… Can't be too careful with these guys," Magnamon pointed out.

"We'll be careful," Examon reassured him. "Wyrm's Edge may be my hometown, but I won't be reckless."

UlforceVeedramon folded his arms and grinned at Dukemon. "Then remind us again why you're bringing Dukemon along…?"

Dukemon gave him a sideway leer before sharply elbowing him in the arm.

* * *

><p>The afternoon breeze swept down the sides of the Dragon Mountains in the distance, flowing across the verdant grasslands of the United Dramonic Coalition. Wafts of ashen smoke were caught up in the breeze as they drifted up from the ground.<p>

Dorbickmon stood before the emptied town of Wyrm's Edge, the blazing Tyrant Collbrande sword gripped rightly in his right hand.

Around him were the unconscious and moaning bodies of the town's defenders, mostly ultimate level. The rest of the Digimon living there evacuated when the fighting started. The evidence of battle was clear, with Digimon-made craters and ruts littering the area outside of the town, although none of the buildings had been hit. Smoke, cinders, and embers drifted across the landscape.

A dark grin crawled onto Dorbickmon's face. He turned around and stared into the distance.

"I'm waiting, Examon…" he hummed. "I know you won't miss this, unless you really are a coward. This ends today, back where it all began."


	34. Chapter 24 Part 2: Burning the Past

**Chapter 24: Burning the Past (Part II)**

Examon soared over the fields of the United Dramonic Coalition, heading towards Wyrm's Edge on the most direct route. He flew close to the ground, keeping close to Dukemon, who jogged along behind him, following Examon's lead.

It felt strange, coming back to the UDC after what felt like a long time. Being its protector, he knew these lands like the backs of his claws. Being back in this territory felt nostalgic, but Examon also felt like a bit of a stranger. He wondered what might have gone on in the UDC and the capital of Dragon's Peak since he had been gone. If anything serious had happened, he hoped he would have heard about it.

There was always that worry at the back of his mind that the Dramon thought he had abandoned them when he went to join the Royal Knights. While Examon never broke his oath to protect the UDC, he knew that going from the UDC's sole protector to a member of the Royal Knights, who were sworn to protect most of the whole continent, was a big change for the UDC. They now had to share him with the rest of the world.

Still, Examon still possessed strong feelings towards the United Dramonic Coalition. It was his home, and he wondered how Dorbickmon could attack it, since it was his home as well.

Examon quietly glanced down and behind, over at Dukemon.

Dukemon, while jogging behind him, met Examon's gaze. "Are you mad at me?" Dukemon asked him.

"Why would I be?" Examon coolly responded, looking forwards again.

"Because I forced you to tell the others about Dorbickmon," Dukemon replied. He assumed that Examon was being passive-aggressive, since Examon had barely spoken to him since they left the headquarters. "I know you told me about that in confidence, but I had to bring it up. I couldn't let you go alone."

Examon didn't respond. He readjusted the Ambrosius from its resting position on his left shoulder.

"Besides, secrets have been tearing us apart. First, Omegamon, then OuRyuumon, now Dynasmon… We can't afford to doubt each other when DarkKnightmon is looking for any weakness – any crack in our armour – that he can exploit," the crimson warrior continued to explain.

Examon's gaze softened. He conceded a soft grunt. "…Yeah, I know," he responded. "I know you're right. This… thing with Dorbickmon: it's just very personal to me. I guess I'm still having trouble letting the others into that part of my life. Some habits are hard to break."

"Hey, you're doing a lot better than when you first joined the Order months ago," Dukemon pointed out with a small grin behind his visor. "I seem to remember you flying off alone in the middle of a mission to come here to the UDC."

The dragon's cheeks heated up at the shameful memory. "How do you know I wouldn't have done that today?" Examon countered.

"Because you've changed," Dukemon told him sincerely. "You've adapted and you've grown… You're part of the team now, Examon."

Examon managed to show Dukemon a small, grateful smile. "Do you think?"

"Yeah, I do," Dukemon responded. "It's like Alphamon said: you're not perfect, but none of us are. You're doing your best, and, because of that, you've changed a lot of peoples' minds about you. Ulforce… Craniamon… Maybe not Duftmon, but at least he bitches at you less. I'd say you're fitting in with us by now, even if you _are_ a big, awkward dragon…"

Examon smirked. "I appreciate that, Dukemon… Thanks…"

"That's why I'm going to let you take on Dorbickmon alone," Dukemon suddenly continued.

"What?" Examon said, slowing down in surprise. He looked down at Dukemon. "Why?"

"Because I trust you," Dukemon explained, looking up at the dragon. "I know this is a personal thing for you. We all have our own inner demons that we need to face… Do what you need to do, but I'm going to be waiting on the wing in case I need to jump in. I'll focus on protecting the town and making sure Dorbickmon doesn't have any back up hidden away."

"Thank you, Dukemon," Examon replied.

"Just be careful, damnit," Dukemon told him. "Don't let your guard down and don't be soft with him just because you used to be friends and you feel guilty. He's not going to be soft on you. You can try to talk him 'round, but be ready for a tough fight."

Examon nodded.

"Good," the white and red knight responded. He gathered the Gram in hand and pointed forwards. "I see smoke ahead."

"We're nearly there," Examon observed, a wave of nostalgia washing over him as he headed towards the town that he didn't dare go near since that day. "Wyrm's Edge…"

"Let's split up here," Dukemon told him. "You go on ahead and I'll go in the town from the south west side. Just keep him busy and do what you want to do for several minutes while I make sure everyone's evacuated and position myself between him and the town."

"Sounds good to me," Examon replied. "I'll try to keep him away from the town."

Dukemon nodded. "Good luck," he said as he dashed off to the left.

Examon flapped the sentient Caledfwlch wings and continued onwards towards Wyrm's Edge.

As he grew closer, the smell of smoke became stronger, and the residual haze of a battle grew thicker. Examon locked and loaded an HE round shell into the Ambrosius' firing chamber as he spread his wings and glided lower to the ground at a height of about twenty meters. To his surprise, he saw that the traces of destruction didn't come from Wyrm's Edge, but from the outskirts of the town. He observed smoking ruts and craters, surrounded by many unconscious and wounded bodies of the town's defenders.

Examon flew up through a pillar of smoke and looked down to see Dorbickmon standing on the ground, his flaming sword in hand, leering up at him. The dragon knight narrowed his eyes and swooped down.

His broad wings flapped strongly as he neared the ground, slowing his descent and allowing him to touch down gently. Examon's claws rested on the hilt of the Ambrosius, which lay against his shoulder. He stared across the ravaged grassland at Dorbickmon, who stared back at him.

A smile grew on Dorbickmon's face. "Examon!" he called over jovially. "You got my message!" His gold and violet eyes narrowed. "Then again, how could you not?"

Examon levelled his gaze with the dragon standing twenty five meters away from him. "Dorbickmon… Why are you doing this? Why here?" he asked him.

Dorbickmon wheeled his blazing sword in his claws. "It got your attention, didn't it?" he said with a half-grin, speaking over the intermittent snarl of the Tyrant Collbrande. "Have you ever come back here since that day?" he asked him.

The Royal Knight paused. He didn't really want to answer, but he knew that he had to give Dukemon time to get into position. "…No," he admitted.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," Dorbickmon spoke with a hint of acid in his voice. "Too big of a risk of people finding out the truth about you. This is what it took to drag you back here, I guess."

"It wasn't like that!" Examon protested with frustration. "I was ashamed!"

"You were afraid you'd get caught," Dorbickmon spat. "That I ratted you out with my dying breath and you'd be left to face the justice of the Four Great Dragons." The dragon man then planted his sword into the ground, causing Examon to flinch at the prospect of an attack. Though no attack came, Examon remained on his guard. "But I guess you're pretty friendly with the Four Great Dragons since you completed their Trial to become a Slayerdramon. Not to mention you were the defender of the UDC, apparently."

"I wouldn't say that…" Examon refuted. "I only know them on a formal basis."

"Yeah, whatever…" Dorbickmon muttered, moving his sword in front of him.

Examon lowered his lance from his shoulder, taking the shaft in his other hand. "Dorbickmon, what's the real reason that you led me here?"

Dorbickmon grunted through his nose. He brought his sword from the ground and pointed it at Examon. "Look behind you…" he told him.

Examon looked over his shoulder and turned around to see what Dorbickmon was pointing at.

Dorbickmon began to walk. "Right over there… That's where you left me to die…" he told him, hastening his pace into a quiet jog.

Examon grimaced, unaware that Dorbickmon was fast approaching. He stared at the place in the singed grass, remembering a similar scene of destruction all those years ago. "Dorbickmon… It wasn't like tha-"

Just as Dorbickmon closed in, Examon's wings began to react on reflex. However, it was too late. Dorbickmon drove his fist into the back of Examon's head and sent the dragon crashing onto the ground.

Examon let out a grunt of unexpected pain and surprise as he was knocked down. He gripped his lance tightly and quickly got to his hands and knees, glancing over his shoulder.

Dorbickmon chuckled and levelled his fiery blade with Examon. "Low blows don't feel too good, do they? Does it make you feel angry?" he asked him chidingly.

Ignoring the throbbing in his head, Examon stood to his feet and turned around, gripping his lance defensively. He backed up several paces to put space between himself and Dorbickmon, in case the dragon man tried to attack him again. He realized that he was now standing in the place where his gekerin was triggered. It made him feel ill-at-ease.

"Yeah, right there, Examon…" Dorbickmon said to him. "That's where this all began." The dragon mercenary's eyes narrowed. "And this is where it's going to end."

Dorbickmon stabbed his sword into the ground. "Burning the Dragon!"

The earth before him split and ruptured as strata ripped from the ground and began tearing towards Examon. Examon recoiled a step as a wall of earth came shooting up towards him. He gritted his teeth and levelled the Ambrosius at his hips. "Pendragon's Glory!" he growled. Examon released a surge of lasers from his lance. The beam ripped through long outcropping of rocks, shattering them from the inside.

Dorbickmon sneered and jumped to the side, dragging his blade with him, as the diffused beam pierced through the other side. Because his sword was still in the ground, Dorbickmon could still tap into the dragon veins, so he followed up with another attack. The Tyrant Collbrande pulsed briefly and the ground below Examon – the place where Dorbickmon had been struck down as a Strikedramon – exploded with rock. Four spikes burst from the ground, reaching up towards the Royal Knight to stab him.

Examon's wings kicked in automatically, flapping and raising Examon up into the air before the stone spikes could run him through. Despite the impressive instincts, one of the aggressive rocks slashed down Examon's left leg as he rose up. A long cut from his upper leg down to the side of his knee formed and slowly began to ooze blood down his crimson scales. The wincing dragon released a grunt of pain as he rose into the air, beads of scarlet blood dripping down to the fractured ground below.

"_Damn it," _Examon thought to himself, gripping the Ambrosius tightly as he flew into the air, swerving to the left so that he could see Dorbickmon behind the wall of stone that he had created. _"__His fighting style is almost opposite to mine. He fights at close to medium range and he has a massive advantage on the ground with his flame and earth-based attacks. I'm a lot better at longer ranges and in the air, but I won't be able to talk to him if I'm flying around and trying to snipe him. If I'm going to try to convince him, then I'll need to fight on the ground where he's in close proximity – where he has a massive advantage against me."_ Examon narrowed his eyes pensively. "_I hope I'll be able to hold out for long enough. No… I will hold out. I'm a Royal Knight. That is what I do…_"

With those thoughts of resolve, Examon swooped down towards Dorbickmon at a wide curve.

Dorbickmon turned and saw him coming in for a pass, causing him to smirk. "Yeah, bring it on, Examon!" he hollered to him. "Don't disappoint me like last time! Let's end this!" Dorbickmon clutched the Tyrant Collbrande tightly. "Burning the Dragon!"

Examon narrowed his eyes as the earth became alive again. Spears of stone pierced towards them as the rocks beneath the grass molded to Dorbickmon's will. The dragon's Caledfwlch flapped and veered, angling Examon's body away from the rising spikes, causing them to shoot past him. "I may not be as nimble a flier as Ulforce, but…" He pressed his claw on the trigger of the Ambrosius and pulled up. "Avalon's Gate!"

A cylindrical shell propelled from the lance and sailed towards Dorbickmon. The draconic mercenary gritted his teeth when he saw the shell descending towards him but, to Examon's surprise, didn't dodge it. Instead, flames began dancing around the gaps between his clenched teeth. "Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" he roared, opening his mouth up and breathing a massive inferno into the air.

The flames swallowed up the HE round, causing it to detonate in mid air, and continued billowing towards Examon, forcing the winged dragon to take a hard turn as he flew higher.

"Dorbickmon! I don't want to fight you!" Examon called down to him, making sure not to climb too high into the air. He circled around and kept his lance trained on Dorbickmon, who tore the Tyrant Collbrande from the ground and swung around to look at him.

"That's rich!" Dorbickmon responded, swinging his sword out to the side emphatically. At the apex of the swing, the Tyrant Collbrande swelled with flames and grew to its massive, mega-sword form. The flames of the giant sword roared and flared as it grew twenty meters long, emitting such heat that the grass directly below wilted and crumpled before burning up. "Then why the hell did you come here?!"

"To talk to you!" Examon replied while firing a powerful laser from the Ambrosius. The pillar of crackling energy pierced down towards Dorbickmon.

Seeing this, the ground-bound dragon lunged to the side to avoid the beam as it seared through the earth beside him before exploding. Dorbickmon grunted as he was pelted by earth and rock. He landed and swung around, heaving the weighty sword along with him, using the momentum from the jump to drag the blade through the sky towards Examon. "He says as he shoots at me!" Dorbickmon sarcastically roared in response, slashing the extended Tyrant Collbrande to try to knock Examon out of the sky.

"You're not exactly making it easy for me!" Examon countered, taking a sharp turn when he saw the blazing, twenty meter sword pull up behind him. Examon dove down just in time, feeling the embers brushing against the backs of his armoured wings.

"I'd be an idiot to trust you!" Dorbickmon replied, snarling as he slammed his heavy sword into the ground, creating an earth-shaking quake. As flames exploded up from the earth, they cast a fearsome glow over Dorbickmon's face. He glared up at Examon contemptuously. "You think one thing, say another, and then do something completely different! 'Examon: the Dragon Emperor'. 'Examon: the Royal Knight'. Yet you're the guy who stabbed his best friend in the back," Dorbickmon told him with a deep sneer. "How could anybody trust you?! You don't even act like a dragon! You're like a block of ice! Who knows what you're actually thinking?! You're not the Coredramon I used to know… but then again, I guess I never really knew him at all, so what do I know?!"

Examon snarled a bit and began flying towards Dorbickmon from an angle. "Listen to me, Dorbickmon! I didn't intentionally hurt you! It was an accident!"

"Yeah, well this isn't!" Dorbickmon retorted. The plates on his pectoral muscles glowed red before releasing two stream of fiery power from within.

Examon grunted upon seeing the two beams sail towards him and he tried his best to pull out of the way. It's difficult for someone with Examon's broad wingspan to make a sharp turn on short notice while in the middle of diving, but he did what he could. He attempted to fly up and over. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The two beams slammed into the armourless underside of Examon's wings, searing the leather through to the armour before exploding.

Examon roared with pain as his body was thrown sideways in the air from the violent explosion. On reflex, he snarled out the closest approximation of 'Pendragon's Glory' that he could muster through his pained growl, and aimed the Ambrosius at Dorbickmon. The tube of the lance pumped with power and a high-powered laser blasted from the tip.

The laser sliced across Dorbickmon's right shoulder, cutting through his scales with burning power and sending blood spurting out and down his bicep. Ignoring the explosion behind him, Dorbickmon released a pained snarl and his eyes shrunk with rage. He drove his burning sword deeper into the ground, creating a massive trench in the grass. "Burning the Dragon!"

Two columns of rock shot up around Examon from each side, preventing an escape route to avoid them. Examon snarled and cried out with pain as the columns of rock suddenly curled and coiled around his Caledfwlch wings, squeezing them painfully and holding him in place. Examon winced and struggled to free his wings from Dorbickmon's rocky hold.

Dorbickmon chuckled darkly and looked up at the helpless dragon. He began to lift the Tyrant Collbrande out of the ground. "I've got you right where I want you now…" he told him. "You're wide open."

Examon watched as Dorbickmon began to pull up the massive sword in his hands. The blazing blade began to rise towards him. It was clear that Dorbickmon planned to slash him while he was restrained and exposed. The Royal Knight clenched his sharp teeth together as Dorbickmon began to drag the heavy sword up towards him.

Thinking fast, Examon suddenly aimed the Ambrosius at the pillar holding his left wing. "Avalon's Gate!" He drove the tip of the lance into the stone and fire another high explosive round from the muzzle. The shell collided with the rocky tentacle and fractured, detonating upon impact and shattering the stony outcropping. In addition to freeing his left wing, the concussion of the explosion sent Examon slamming into the opposite pillar to his right. Because of this, when the Tyrant Collbrande swept up towards Examon, it missed his form and merely singed his scales.

With a growl of frustration, Dorbickmon continued raising the massive sword until he reached the height of his swing. "That might have worked once, but I'll get you on the down swing!" Dorbickmon shouted to him, pulling the Tyrant Collbrande back down so that it would envelope both Examon and the remaining pillar holding him.

Examon sneered and aimed the Ambrosius at him. "Dorbickmon!" he called to him desperately. He fired another shell at Dorbickmon while his arms were over his head, pulling his sword down mid-swing. In that position, Dorbickmon's chest was exposed. The shell sailed towards Dorbickmon and slammed into his gut painfully, winding the dragon and causing him to hunch forwards a bit. The round then surged with electricity, which coursed through Dorbickmon's body. A guttural yell escaped Dorbickmon's throat as the shocking power ran through him.

However, the momentum of his swing was too great, and his giant blade came crashing down on Examon and the pillar, shattering the rocky feature under its enormous pressure and crushing Examon into the ground.

"Examon!" a voice called out.

Dorbickmon collapsed to his knees, his form smoking. After successfully hitting Examon, he was forced to retract the Tyrant Collbrande to its regular size. The dragon mercenary slowly turned towards Wyrm's Edge, where he heard the voice come from.

To his surprise, he saw Dukemon standing there. Dukemon stood just outside of the town. The unconscious and wounded bodies of the town's defenders that had been defeated by Dorbickmon were lying behind him, protected by the Aegis which Dukemon held in front of him.

"What the hell…?" Dorbickmon snarled, stabbing his blade into the ground and using it as a support as he stood to his feet, ignoring the protests of his numb and quivering muscles. He glared ahead of him, at Examon.

Examon groaned as he lay in the ditch formed by the Tyrant Collbrande. He slowly pushed himself up and used his lance to get to his knees. His wings were sore and twisted, his back was burnt and smoking, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and his nostrils. Despite this, Examon flapped his pained wings and flew up to ground level. "Dukemon…" he said, looking over to the crimson knight.

"How're you holding up?" Dukemon asked, the concern obvious in his voice as he waited for the signal to step in to help.

"I'm fine," Examon insisted.

Dorbickmon scowled at Examon while keeping a wary eye on Dukemon. "So, you brought your boyfriend along?" Dorbickmon taunted the dragon. "Two against one is hardly a fair fight. I thought you were trying to prove to me that you're honourable… or was that as much garbage as I thought it was?"

Examon frowned in response. "The only reason Dukemon's here is because we thought this might be a trap," the Royal Knight assured Dorbickmon.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't. DarkKnightmon doesn't even know about this. This is my own concern," Dorbickmon replied. "So… Are you going to tell me that Sir Ponytail over there is going to just sit back and watch as we fight?"

"That's Sir Dukemon to you," Dukemon pointedly replied. "And I'm not going to step in unless Examon asks me to."

"Oh, great," Dorbickmon sarcastically spat. "So, as soon as he starts to lose, he's going to call you in to replace him."

"No, I'm not," Examon responded, wiping the blood from the nose on the back of his hand and levelling his gaze with Dorbickmon. "This is between you and me. Plus, I have honour. Even if I'm losing, I won't call him in. I may be a pragmatist, but as a Royal Knight, my word isn't something that I can just cast aside when it suits me."

Despite his pain, Dorbickmon manages a tiny grin. "Honour, huh?" He clenched his sword again and Examon and Dukemon began to feel small tremors in the ground. "Let's see if you really mean it…"

"You really don't trust anybody, do you?" Examon asked him, frowning with a soft sadness.

Dorbickmon tried to chuckle but it came out as just a single breath. "No, I don't," he told him.

"And it's because of me, isn't it?" Examon questioned. "Because of what happened here."

Dorbickmon grew quiet. Instead of using his Burning the Dragon attack, Dorbickmon drew the Tyrant Collbrande from the earth and levelled it in front of himself. "You're an arrogant bastard," Dorbickmon spat. "You were just the beginning." He swept his sword out in front of him, sending embers flying off of it. "Yeah, you might have been the worst, but as a freelance mercenary, you tend to get shafted on a regular basis, especially when you're just starting out. You get screwed by clients, merc companies, militaries, even other freelancers. You have to grow up fast or else you're made into loose data fast. It didn't just come down to one act of betrayal."

"I'm sorry," Examon said with a grimace.

"No, you're not," Dorbickmon replied, glaring at him. "Would you shut up and fight me? Nothing pisses me off more than hypocrisy."

"I'm being honest," Examon insisted with furrowed brows. "If you want to talk about hypocrisy, how many people have you betrayed while you were a mercenary?"

Dorbickmon narrowed his eyes and went silent. After a few seconds of tense staring, he replied. "…Plenty. But at least I admit it. I don't hide behind 'Oh, but it wasn't my fault!' or 'But I didn't mean to!'"

"You want me to take responsibility?" Examon asked him with a narrow leer. "That's what I'm trying to do if you would just give me a chance."

Dorbickmon growled. "Alright! You want a chance?" he asked him heatedly. "Here's your damn chance! Take it! I'm all ears!"

Examon paused. He thought to himself carefully. He wondered what he could possibly say or do to make Dorbickmon believe him.

Suddenly, the Ambrosius dropped to the ground beside Examon. Examon held his arms out and looked straight into Dorbickmon's eyes. "You want to kill me, don't you? That's why you're working with DarkKnightmon. Well… if letting you kill me is what it takes to show you how sorry I am for what I did, then… kill me."

Dorbickmon arched his eyebrow with genuine surprise. "…What?" he asked.

Dukemon's eyes widened. "Examon…" said the suddenly worried knight.

"I mean it," Examon told him, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, right…" Dorbickmon muttered suspiciously. "You're bluffing. You think that I don't have the guts to go through with it.

Examon emphatically nudged the Ambrosius with his foot and let it roll in the grass a bit. "I'm not bluffing. Try it, if you don't believe me. It's only fair."

"Examon!" Dukemon protested. "Think about this for a second! Is he really worth it? Is _this_ really worth it?!"

"That day has haunted me for years, Dukemon," Examon told him, closing his eyes. "I've avoided punishment for it for far too long."

"No, you haven't! You've told me you've been dwelling on and feeling guilty about what happened ever since! That sounds like it's punishment enough to me," Dukemon angrily told him. "Why the hell do you always play the martyr?! It's such an easy way to make yourself feel better, but you don't think about anybody else! I thought you changed. I thought you were starting to think like a member of a team and not just a solo protector with a load of baggage!"

"Dukemon, this is my decision!" Examon countered.

Dukemon glared at him. "What happened to helping us change the world?!"

Dorbickmon laughed. "You still expect me to believe you're not bluffing? Even with this cute little performance? Well, alright!" He poised the Tyrant Collbrande in his hands and held it horizontally, pointed towards Examon, as he started charging him.

Dukemon gripped his lance and prepared to act.

Examon watched as Dorbickmon charged him. He thought about making amends to Dorbickmon and letting him run him through, but the closer that he got, the more the Royal Knight thought about Dukemon's words to him. He wanted to create a better world, not more destruction. He remembered this goal. He remembered that there was more to him than just atoning for what he did to Dorbickmon. This was why he left the UDC and joined the Royal Knights; he wanted to change the world for the better.

Dorbickmon let out a roar of raw emotion as he plunged his sword towards Examon's chest. Examon saw the sword approaching him and he could feel his body act.

The very tip of the burning blade plunged into Examon's chest armour before stopping completely, the tip just burning his scales. Examon gritted his teeth with a new found resolve and pulled back strongly, flapping his wings forwards and taking several steps in reverse. When he did this, the sword was pulled out from his chest armour, and a small trickle of blood dripped down the metal.

Both Examon and Dorbickmon stared at each other, each suddenly very still. Dukemon released a relieved breath.

Dorbickmon looked at his sword, then at the small puncture in Examon's armour, and then up at Examon himself. He grinned. "…See? I knew you were bluffing. You're still a coward."

"I remembered that there's still more that I have to do…" Examon sheepishly responded, realizing how that must have looked. "And if you say that I was a coward, then that means you realize that I didn't hurt you in cold blood."

Dorbickmon suddenly glowered at his words.

Then something dawned of Examon. "And also… you stopped your attack right before I pulled away…" Examon looked at Dorbickmon. "You didn't want to kill me…"

Dorbickmon's eyes widened. The mercenary suddenly let out a roar and slashed his sword outwards. The Tyrant Collbrande cut across Examon's armoured chest before he vanquished the sword in a flash of flames. Dorbickmon reached out and grabbed Examon's neck in his hands, squeezing tightly. "THAT'S BECAUSE I WANT TO KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!" he roared at him passionately, squeezing Examon's windpipe harder with his claws.

Examon gasped out breathlessly and grabbed Dorbickmon's wrists with his claws. "It's… easier… to hate… than forgive…" he told Dorbickmon through choked breaths.

"Die!" Dorbickmon shouted, his violet eyes feral with rage. "Die! Die! Die! Die, you son of a bitch!"

Examon reached out and grabbed Dorbickmon's nose horn, pushing his head back. As he did this, he heard a whistling sound nearby that increased in pitch with every moment.

"Examon! Look out!" Dukemon called out to him.

The whistling sound became louder and nearer. Dorbickmon began to lessen and weaken his throttling of him, looking around as if he heard the noise as well.

Suddenly, there was a massive bang nearby, and both dragons were thrown to the ground. A detonation in the trench nearby sent a cascade of dirt and fire billowing up. A mighty shockwave tore through the ground, which was already fragile from Dorbickmon's Burning the Dragon attacks. The two dragon Digimon grunted as dirt washed over their bodies. They both got to their hands and knees, slightly disoriented.

"Damn it… What the hell…?" Dorbickmon snarled lowly, slowly getting to his feet.

Examon rubbed his head and winced, standing up as well. "What was that, Dukemon…?"

"Whatever that is…" Dukemon responded, pointing into the distance.

They looked to the grasslands far beyond Wyrm's Edge to see what he was pointing at. Both Dorbickmon and Examon were stunned to see an army of Digimon in the distance, marching and flying towards them. The Digimon who fired at them seemed to be one of two titanic dinosaur Digimon – Apatosaurus Digimon with three cannons mounted on each of their backs. They guessed this because there seemed to be smoke drifting up from one of their cannons.

Dorbickmon turned to Examon and Dukemon with a snarl. "Damn it! Is that your army?!" he accused them.

"No, it's not. We didn't double cross you," Dukemon replied, frowning. "We don't have any Cannondramon in our army." He studied the army carefully.

"Cannondramon?" Examon asked suspiciously. "Is it the Mesozoic Kingdom? They use Cannondramon as artillery teams, don't they?"

"No, they wouldn't break neutrality and invade the UDC," Dukemon said. "Besides, there's no way they could move a whole army from the Claw Desert up to the UDC without us knowing about it." He squinted. "I only see Dramon… It's the UDC…"

Examon's eyes widened. "The UDC…?" he asked in disbelief. "But… that's impossible. There's no way they could have an army like that… I was their first line of defence until several months ago and they never had forces that large…"

Dorbickmon gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. "I didn't hear anything about that…" he snarled to himself.

"They must have mobilized after he started attacking," Dukemon told Examon, gesturing to Dorbickmon. "I heard from recon that there was troop build up in the UDC recently, but I had no idea it was to this scale. I'm counting at least fifteen Megas too…"

Examon grimaced and turned to look at Dorbickmon. "Dorbickmon…" he told him. "Get out of here."

"What?" Dorbickmon asked, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Not even you can defeat all of them," Examon explained with a hard look. "Retreat before they arrive."

"Did that explosion rattle your brain?" Dorbickmon eyed him suspiciously. "We were just fighting and now you're telling me to get out of here?"

"You didn't want to kill me," Examon said to him. The Royal Knight then turned to Wyrm's Edge. "You defeated the town's defenders, but you didn't actually damage the town itself. You didn't destroy a single building." Examon looked over his shoulder and looked Dorbickmon in the eyes. "You're not _that_ different from when you were a Strikedramon. I believe there's still hope for you."

"'Hope for me'?" Dorbickmon growled. "You patronizing little…" A muzzle burst rumbled in the distance. The mercenary hissed and looked past the Royal Knights and saw that the other Cannondramon had fired.

Dukemon jumped back with his shield to protect the wounded. At the same time, Dorbickmon heard the whistling of a shell grow louder and he looked up to see it coming down towards him. He swore and braced himself.

To his shock, he felt Examon suddenly push into him and tackle him down. Just as he was about to counterattack, Examon curled his wings around them like a shield and let out a pained cry as the shell collided with one of his wings and detonated. The force of the explosion sent Examon crashing on top of Dorbickmon's chest, and heat and fire washed over his back while the shrapnel was deflected off of his wings.

A humanoid figure flying in the air in front of the vast forces suddenly stopped and turned around to face the army. "Hold fire! There are Royal Knights!" its voiced rumbled lowly in the distance.

As the voice echoed, Dorbickmon looked up at Examon with shock. Examon grimaced and slowly pushed himself off of Dorbickmon a bit. His wings were throbbing with pain and he was pretty sure that flying was now out of the question.

"G-Get offa me," Dorbickmon tersely said, pushing Examon off of him and standing to his feet. He began walking away from the dragon Royal Knight, stepping through the smoke that the explosion created. He stared at the army in the distance and rubbed his face, growling to himself. "Fine. I'm leaving. But not because you told me to."

Examon let out a pained groan and stood to his feet. "Sure…" he responded, at the moment more preoccupied by the pain and the smoking coming from his wings. Once he was sure that the damage wasn't crippling, Examon turned to Dorbickmon. "You should get going now."

"Yeah, whatever," Dorbickmon grunted, turning and running off without another glance.

For a few moments, Examon watched as Dorbickmon ran off before going and picking up his Ambrosius.

Dukemon walked over to Examon and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay. I don't think I can fly back," he responded calmly.

"You let him go…" Dukemon said with a frown, turning to look at the retreating Dorbickmon. "Isn't it a better idea to defeat him and capture him?"

Examon quietly reviewed the suggestion. "…No. If Dorbickmon's going to change his mind about me, it has to be his choice."

"It's not just him forgiving you that we have to consider though," Dukemon pointed out. "What about the next time DarkKnightmon uses him in an operation."

"I think I got through to him, Dukemon," Examon responded. "I believe in him."

"You're not exactly unbiased…" Dukemon countered. However, the crimson knight sighed. "But I said that it would be your call, so I'll go along with it. That said, we're going to have to tell the others… Like I said, I don't want secrets."

Examon nodded with agreement. He then turned towards the approaching army with a confused and concerned expression.

The dragon man who seemed to be giving the orders earlier was flying ahead of the army towards them, while the rest of the army appeared to have stopped its advance. As he came closer, Examon and Dukemon could begin to make out his form. The dragon man was clad from head to toe in silver plate armour. Flowing behind him as he flew was a green cape. Gripped loosely in his hand was a long, segmented scimitar.

Examon recognized the species immediately. It was a Slayerdramon, Examon's own Mega I form.

The Slayerdramon landed in front of two Royal Knights and immediately bowed before them. "Examon, Dukemon, sir. I'm very sorry for that bombardment. We were out on training exercises when we encountered the fleeing townsfolk of Wyrm's Edge. They told us that their town was under attack by a Dorbickmon. I thought I saw him with you, so I ordered the Cannondramon to fire."

"It's fine. The Dorbickmon was here, but he retreated," Dukemon explained. "He won't be coming back."

The Slayerdramon stood up straight and nodded. "Thank you. I'm Junior Commander Slayerdramon." He turned and observed the town and the wounded defenders lying near the edge of it. "It looks like your intervention saved the town."

Dukemon glanced at Examon, signalling that it would probably be better to stay quiet about why Dorbickmon was really there. "Yeah, I guess so."

Examon frowned and looked at Slayerdramon, noting what he had to do to get that form. "You passed the Trial of the Four Great Dragons…"

The Slayerdramon couldn't help but smile and puff his chest up proudly. "Yes, I did. Just like you, Examon, sir."

"When?" Examon asked him.

"Only two months ago. I'm pretty used to the new form now," Slayerdramon answered.

"Two months? But the Trial of the Four Great Dragons is an annual event," Examon said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's bi-annual now," Slayerdramon explained. "The Four Great Dragons wanted more of us."

"Isn't Qinglongmon one of the Four Great Dragons ruling the UDC?" Dukemon wondered, looking over at Examon. "How does he have time when he's one of the Four Holy Beasts too?"

"Since his priority's the Four Holy Beasts, he's an absentee ruler of the Four Great Dragons and only meets with them for important matters and the Trial of the Four Great Dragons. Majiramon, the dragon Deva and Qinglongmon's servant, serves as his viceroy during his absence," Examon explained to him. The draconic Royal Knight looked back at the Slayerdramon. "The Trial's bi-annual… and that army? We didn't have anything like that before."

"That's not even the whole army," Slayerdramon explained.

"Why is the UDC militarizing?" Examon demanded. "There's way more power here than back when I was the protector."

"May I speak bluntly?" Slayerdramon asked the Royal Knights. Upon seeing them nod, he continued. "That's exactly why the decision was made to enhance our military."

Examon blinked. "What?"

"We're building up our military for defensive reasons," the dragon warrior of the UDC explained. "After you left and joined the Royal Knights, there was a huge hole left in our defences. We…" Slayerdramon paused, wondering if he should continue. "We couldn't rely on you completely anymore. After Anubismon's Incursion, the Four Great Dragons felt that the UDC was vulnerable, so they decided to build up the military, taking in recruits from all provinces."

"That's ridiculous," Examon protested sharply. "I swore to defend the UDC despite being in the Royal Knights."

"Yes, but you have responsibilities to almost the entire continent now," Slayerdramon tried to reason. "You can't come to our rescue every time."

"We're the Royal Knights," Examon countered. "We help wherever it's needed."

"Yeah, but… Well, we don't want to rely on an outside power all the time. We want to be able to be self-reliant when we need to be. We just don't want to become beholden to the Royal Knights whenever there's trouble. It's kind of disheartening needing to be rescued every time we're attacked," Slayerdramon told him. He then felt sheepish. "Sorry, I hope I'm not offending either of you."

Examon was silent. Dukemon, however, shook his head. "No, I guess I can understand that impulse…" he replied. He folded his arms. "So, is this the UDC's way of telling us to stay away?"

"No, not at all," Slayerdramon responded. "At least, that's not the sense I'm getting. We don't mind if your Order still intervenes in attacks and conflicts within our territory. In fact, with your skills and technology, you'll almost certainly do a better job than us. And my master says that we still want to maintain diplomatic ties with your Order. It's just that, well, we need this sense of security."

"So, should I ask why they've been so secret about building the army?" Dukemon asked him.

"I think they just didn't want it to look like an act of aggression," Slayerdramon replied.

"I see…" Dukemon spoke. "We'll need to have a talk with the Four Great Dragons at some point." He looked at Examon. "Anyways, we need to be leaving. I can leave you to secure the town, Junior Commander?"

"Yes, sir," Slayerdramon responded.

"In that case, we'll be off," Dukemon said. "Can you fly, Examon?"

Examon was quiet. He didn't want to reveal that he couldn't fly just now in front of Slayerdramon. Not after everything that he had just said.

Dukemon scratched his cheek with a finger sheepishly. "Uh, right…"

"It was nice meeting you both," Slayerdramon said with a bow. He turned around and flew into the air, flying back to his troops.

Dukemon looked at Examon with an inquisitive expression. "…Are you okay?"

Examon gave him a small, sad smile. "They don't need me anymore."

After a moment, Dukemon placed a hand on his shoulder. "They needed you today, when Dorbickmon was here."

"Dorbickmon was here _because_ of me…" Examon replied, shaking his head.

"Examon… The UDC still needs the Royal Knights, even with an army. Do you know how long it takes to mobilize an army for combat? Days. It takes us hours to respond to a crisis. This is just to make them feel more secure," Dukemon assured him.

Examon sighed. "That isn't the point, Dukemon… I made a vow to defend the United Dramonic Coalition, as their protector. That isn't good enough for them now. They don't trust me to save them… not like they used to. If they did, then they wouldn't feel insecure. The Royal Knights and the UDC… I thought I could have both, but I guess I can't."

Dukemon rubbed Examon's shoulder reassuringly. "They still have us…"

Examon gave his friend a weak smile. "…Let's go home."

Dukemon nodded quietly and took Examon's arm around his back to help him walk as they headed back towards the castle.


	35. Chapter 25 Part 1: The World Tree

(Author's Notes: Another two parter. I'm really not making good on my promise, am I? xD Well, I'll try in the future. Action intensive chapters tend to be longer than I like. But there's good news! I'm currently writing the epilogue! I'll try to have that finished by this weekend so then I can get a start on the sequel, which I'm really looking forward to. Anyways, I'll post part two of this chapter shortly. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 25: The World Tree (Part I)**

Examon and Dukemon stood before the rest of the Royal Knights in the war room. Upon arriving back, Examon had gone to Duskmon, where he got his leg, wings, and chest bandaged. They weren't serious wounds, so he got away with convincing Duskmon that he needed to speak to the Royal Knights urgently. They started by telling the Royal Knights about the UDC's new army, and then followed up with their encounter with Dorbickmon.

The two looked around at the others. There was still a tense atmosphere weighing heavy in the air. Dynasmon stood off to the side, away from Alphamon, leaning against the wall with folded arms. Duftmon leered at them with an accusatory gaze after they explained what had happened. They had also heard that three members of the Order resigned upon hearing about Alphamon. It wasn't a huge number, but it was more than Alphamon would have liked, and he felt guilty about it.

"So," Duftmon began, staring at Examon and Dukemon. He placed his hands on his hips in dissatisfaction. "What you're telling us is that you defeated Dorbickmon but then you let him escape?"

"No," Dukemon spoke up. "We routed him when he saw that the UDC's army was approaching."

"That seems like it would have been a tremendous opportunity to attack him and bring him down for good," Duftmon argued. He turned his head and looked at Examon. "But apparently you two used to be friends, so I'm guessing that that is the real reason why his data is still intact."

"I believe that I got through to Dorbickmon," Examon responded calmly to the accusation. "I think I can make him see that what he's doing is wrong."

Duftmon scoffed and shook his head condescendingly, raising his hand to rub the bridge of his nose. "You see, Dukemon? Examon's been around you too much. His level-headedness was one of his few good qualities and you're turning him into a naïve fool."

"That's enough, Duftmon," Alphamon spoke, although his voice was more matter-of-fact than it was angry or annoyed.

"Do _you_ think that it was the right move to make, then?" Duftmon challenged, looking over at Alphamon.

"No, I don't," Alphamon admitted, looking over at Examon. "But I wasn't there, so I don't know what was said or done. Also, Examon knows Dorbickmon better than we do. Maybe he was right, maybe he wasn't, but it's too late now either way."

Sleipmon folded his arms and looked at Examon suspiciously. "It's a bit hypocritical, isn't it, Examon?" he asked the dragon knight.

"What is?" Examon asked in an icy voice.

"The fact that you were willing to let your friend escape. If it were anybody else, you would have deleted them on the spot, but because you feel guilty about him, you let him go," Sleipmon said pointedly.

"So, what do you want? For me to delete him?" Examon countered, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes!" Duftmon spoke up.

"No," Sleipmon replied minimally, deciding to leave that topic there.

"That Dorbickmon is a mercenary. How are you supposed to trust him? They're unscrupulous," the tactician explained.

Dynasmon grunted and stood up straight from the wall. "You have trouble trusting mercenaries, Duftmon?" he asked in a low, bitter tone, reminding them that he was a mercenary before he helped found the Order.

"Generally speaking," Duftmon responded unwaveringly. "Most mercenaries don't have the principles that you have, Dynasmon."

"Well if you have any doubts, just say so," Dynasmon told him. He gave a sharp glance at Alphamon. "I'm getting used to not being trusted."

Alphamon glanced away from the white armoured dragon. He couldn't help but feel like Dynasmon took issue with that just to take a jab at him. "Moving on… As we were saying before, we're almost positive that DarkKnightmon has left the Free Area."

"Do we know where he is or where he's heading?" Magnamon asked.

Alphamon looked over at Grani. "We have it on good authority that DarkKnightmon is heading north, towards the center of the continent."

As Alphamon activated the three dimensional, holographic war table in front of him, RhodoKnightmon looked at him. "Do we have any idea whatsoever on what his destination might be?" he questioned.

"It's hard to be certain," Alphamon responded. "To gather more allies, perhaps? If he was forming another offensive, then it's hard to imagine why he'd be moving away from us."

Duftmon released a pensive hum and tapped the edge of the glowing table. "Perhaps… he's moving against our allies? The Warrior Ten?"

"Attacking them head on would be as suicidal as attacking us head on," Dynasmon countered.

"Covertly, I mean, like he has been doing with us," Duftmon clarified. "He has to know that if he tried to take us down, then the Warrior Ten would step in to help us."

"I don't know…" Alphamon said doubtfully.

"North… Maybe the ruins north of Ocean Cove?" Sleipmon suggested with concern, thinking about the ruins north of his hometown that he used to defend.

"I'm sure he doesn't care about your precious ruins, Sleipmon," UlforceVeedramon said with a smile.

"Most of his attacks have been personal," Sleipmon argued. "Besides, those are important ruins. What if he wanted to retrieve what's inside or desecrate or destroy them?"

Examon couldn't help but glance at Sleipmon. It seemed that he wasn't the only one who was still concerned about defending his home.

"Where was he last seen?" Craniamon asked, looking at the holographic war map that showed the map of the continent.

Grani hovered forwards and pointed with his gold arm to a gorge that ran north. "He was spotted here, walking through the Chasm of Creation."

"The chasm that one of the World Tree's roots goes through?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

"So he passed through New Terminal," Alphamon said with a sigh of relief, pleased that he apparently didn't do anything to his hometown, as they would have heard about it by now.

"Grani, I want you to send two wings of scouts after him. The fastest ones you have," Alphamon told the Zero ARMS.

"Can we get any idea of where he's going from his path?" Dukemon asked, walking over to the table.

"We can only speculate," Alphamon responded, dragging his finger northwards, along the length of the canyon.

The Royal Knights studied what lay north of the chasm.

Suddenly, Alphamon contemplated UlforceVeedramon's words and a sick feeling washed over him. "No… It can't be that…" Alphamon dourly murmured to himself.

"What?" Dukemon asked, looking up. The other Royal Knights looked at Alphamon questioningly and saw his increasingly worried face.

Alphamon grimaced and looked at a giant feature that lay some distance north of the Chasm of Creation. "Not that… He wouldn't…"

* * *

><p><em>A few days later<em>…

DarkKnightmon walked down a dirt path leading through a dispersed forest. There was plenty of space between the trees and their vibrant, colourful canopies for the early morning light to shine through. The fragrant, earthy scent of the forest filled the fresh air and the wind swept through the leaves and branches of the trees.

At the knight's side walked MirageGaogamon, Omegamon Zwart, and Dorbickmon.

"Are you sure about this, Sir?" MirageGaogamon asked DarkKnightmon with a worried, conflicted look in his eyes. "Isn't this a little… extreme?"

DarkKnightmon glanced over at the lupine warrior. "We were going to reach this stage sooner or later, Captain," he responded calmly. "We're without a base and we're being hunted. In light of that, I have to speed up our plans."

"It's not _that_ DarkKnightmon…" MirageGaogamon half-mumbled.

"He doubts you," Omegamon Zwart spoke up, eyeing DarkKnightmon.

"I do not!" MirageGaogamon protested defensively. "I'm merely… uncomfortable with this."

DarkKnightmon stopped and turned around, looking at MirageGaogamon, prompting everyone to stop. "I understand, MirageGaogamon. You're a faithful follower of Yggdrasil. It is only natural to have doubts," he diplomatically assured him.

"Aren't you, DarkKnightmon?" MirageGaogamon couldn't help but ask him. "Begging your pardon, but wasn't one of the tenets of the Royal Knights to pledge to defend Yggdrasil?"

DarkKnightmon paused for a moment. "Of course, but there's a time and a place for faith. I'm a realist, Captain. We must do what we have to in order to win," the black knight explained. "Besides, the World Tree isn't Yggdrasil itself, merely the embodiment of it."

"They are said to be connected…" MirageGaogamon mumbled. He tightened his gaze with upset and looked away.

"If it pains you too much to help us, I will not force you, Captain," DarkKnightmon explained. "Though I would be lying if I said that we didn't need your exceptional abilities. With that said, the decision has to be yours, MirageGaogamon. Will you help us change the world like we wanted? Or is this where we part ways? I won't hold your decision against you."

MirageGaogamon grimaced and stared down at his claw gauntlets. "I…" He closed his eyes and released a calming, resolute breath. "I'm with you, Sir."

"Thank you, Captain," DarkKnightmon said to him with a smile behind his visor. "I knew that I could rely on you."

MirageGaogamon offered him a faint smile and nodded. He glanced at Omegamon Zwart and Dorbickmon. Omegamon Zwart eyed him with wary, red eyes. Dorbickmon was looking in a different direction, apparently thinking to himself silently. He had been like that for awhile.

"And what about you, Dorbickmon?" DarkKnightmon asked, turning to the dragon mercenary.

Dorbickmon was silent. It was as if he hadn't heard DarkKnightmon.

"DarkKnightmon is speaking to you," MirageGaogamon told him with narrowed eyes.

"…Oh, what?" Dorbickmon asked, blinking and turning to DarkKnightmon. "Did you say something?"

"Are you feeling alright, Dorbickmon?" DarkKnightmon asked him. "You've been quiet ever since you met up with us this morning."

"Oh, it's nothing," Dorbickmon assured him with a dismissive wave. "Just had a rough night."

"Have your wounds been keeping you up?" DarkKnightmon asked, eyeing the bandages on his arm and chest.

"Nah, I've had worse," the red dragon man replied.

"So, you don't have any qualms about our foray to the World Tree?" he inquired.

"I don't believe in Yggdrasil, and Fanglongmon is supposed to be sealed pretty deep – too deep for it to make a difference - so what do I care?" Dorbickmon responded with a nonchalant smirk. "Let's get moving."

"Very well," the knight answered, moving to walk again.

"Wait," Omegamon Zwart said sharply, glaring suddenly.

"What?" Dorbickmon asked, giving him a wary, sideways glance.

"I see travellers down the path," the former Royal Knights explained, leering down the dirt path.

"Keep walking," DarkKnightmon said, beginning to head down the forest trail again. "Don't appear suspicious."

Dorbickmon, MirageGaogamon, and Omegamon Zwart followed him, all looking down the pathway attentively.

They could see four figures walking towards them in the distance. One was tall, two were medium-sized, and the other was pretty short. DarkKnightmon headed towards the group with a disarming disposition.

As they grew closer, they could clearly make out their forms. The tallest of the four was humanoid man, who walked with a sort of aloof confidence in his stride. He was clad in a black, form-fitting suit and armour from neck to toe. On his feet, he wore red geta: thick, wooden, traditional sandals with a large tooth protruding from the middle of the soles. Adding to his unique apparel was a long, white jacket that he wore over his shoulders like a cape. The long coat flowed in the breeze as he walked, as did his red, brushed back, spiky hair and sideburns. Over the eyes of his humanoid face was a metal visor that glinted in the morning sun. He grinned somewhat as he looked at the group of four, causing the slim, crimson mustache above his mouth to lift as he sized them up.

Behind the imposing Digimon were two humanoid Digimon. The female Digimon looked similar to each other, although one was taller and the other shorter. They each wore garments akin to kobluks or habits, although clothes of the taller girl were black and white while those of the shorter girl were pink and white. The one wearing black carried two silver pistols and the one wearing pink held a golden trident. The pink Digimon made a point to put her taller counterpart between herself and the four powerful travellers.

Lastly, the shortest of the group was a small, quadrupedal dragon Digimon whose white, metallic scales shimmered in the sunlight. The teenaged dragon wore a red cape over his back; attached to the cape was a red hood and goggles, which rested on the back of his neck. The cape fluttered slightly in the wind, though less majestically than the taller Digimon's jacket did. He tapped his dark blue claws against the ground and looked past his black nose horn at the approaching travellers with curious, excited, yellow eyes. The Digimon looked up at the man beside with a questioning look, possibly to see what he would do.

As the two groups of four drew near, the leaders of each increased their strides and stepped out to meet the other.

"Good morning," DarkKnightmon said to the red-haired, strong-looking Digimon amiably.

"Same to you," the jacket-wearing Digimon responded, stopping in front of him and folding his arms, although still wearing a half grin.

DarkKnightmon stopped opposite to him. "May I ask you a question?"

"I believe you just did," the Digimon replied. After a moment, he grinned and continued, brushing the sides of his jacket out as he placed his hands on his hips. "I don't answer questions to Digimon I'm not introduced to."

"I see…" DarkKnightmon responded. He eyed the Digimon carefully for a few seconds. The knight then extended his hand. "My name is DarkKnightmon."

The Digimon took his hand, squeezed hard, and shook it firmly. "Gankoomon," the warrior replied. He then let go and extended his hand to the two girls behind him. "This is Sistermon Noir and Sistermon Blanc. Companions of mine."

"Hiya," the taller, darker-garbed Sistermon Noir chirped.

"H-Hello…" the shorter, pink-wearing Sistermon Blanc meekly followed up.

Gankoomon then turned and gestured down to the short dragon next to him. "And this is my squire—"

"Huckmon!" the dragon known as Huckmon interrupted, eager to be the one to introduce himself. "I plan to be one of the Royal Knights one day!" he made sure to add with an enthusiastic grin.

DarkKnightmon couldn't help but chuckle at the youthful Digimon's words. "Is that so…? Wonderful," he said. Meanwhile, Omegamon Zwart leered at Huckmon.

Gankoomon rolled his eyes behind his visor. "Yggdrasil knows why…" He glanced at the group, arched his eyebrow and angled his head to the left. "So, your question?"

"Oh, yes. My friends and I are looking for the World Tree," DarkKnightmon explained. "It's been awhile since I've been up here; are we going in the right direction?"

Omegamon Zwart, Dorbickmon and MirageGaogamon eyed Gankoomon, quietly hoping that he didn't know they were fugitives.

"Yeah, just keep heading north for about twenty kilometers," Gankoomon said, looking over his shoulder and nodding behind him. "There's a clearing up ahead. Once you're there, you should be able to see the tree. It's impossible to miss."

"Thank you, Gankoomon," DarkKnightmon told him.

Gankoomon gave him a short nod. "So, why go to the World Tree? Are you guys on a pilgrimage?" he wondered. "Tourists maybe? You don't look like you're from around here."

"Tourists," DarkKnightmon responded. "I want to see if the view is as breathtaking as I remember it being."

Huckmon frowned and looked up at his mentor. "Gankoomon? What exactly _is_ the World Tree?" he asked him.

"You know, the Yggdrasil Tree. The giant ass one we passed yesterday," Gankoomon explained to the teenaged dragon.

"Yeah, but why's it bigger than all the other trees? I couldn't even see the top without hurting my neck."

Gankoomon rolled his eyes. "Weren't you listening before?" he asked in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"I knew you were daydreaming when we were explaining it to you," Sistermon Noir playfully rebuked as she looked down at Huckmon. Huckmon smiled sheepishly and raised his claws to tug at his collar.

Gankoomon sighed and folded his arms, shaking his head. "The World Tree is a holy site. Right in the center of the continent… the world even. The tree's thought to embody Yggdrasil or, at least, its essence. To harm the World Tree would be to harm Yggdrasil itself."

Gankoomon unfolded his arms and turned to face Huckmon. "It's not just important to the Yggdrasil faith, though. It's important to the Fanglongmon faith and to the offshoot of the Yggdrasil faith that the Angelic Choirs follow too. For the Fanglongmon faith, it's thought that the big guy himself was sealed deep beneath the tree's roots after he split his power into four, manifesting his will into the Four Holy Beasts. That's why they created the Neutral Zone around it, since nobody wanted to harm such an important tree through fighting… that and nobody wanted to piss off the World Tree's guardians."

"Get all that, kid?" Dorbickmon added boredly.

"Yeah," Huckmon sheepishly responded. "But who are the World Tree's guardians?"

"Like I said, Digimon you don't want to piss off," Gankoomon replied offhandedly. "The strongest is Valdurmon."

DarkKnightmon eyed Gankoomon with interest. "Valdurmon… And where is he located?" he questioned.

"Valdurmon lives on the uppermost boughs of the tree, right in the clouds," the warrior explained. "You'll be fine if you're just visiting."

"Good to hear. He sounds like he must be a tough Digimon," DarkKnightmon said.

"Yup. I wouldn't want to cross his path, and I've taken down some big Digimon," Gankoomon replied, folding his arms. "Anyways, we need to get moving."

"As do we," DarkKnightmon responded. He looked down at Huckmon. "I wish you the best of luck with your goal. The Royal Knights are a very prestigious group."

"I know," Huckmon responded, smiling. "But Gankoomon's a great teacher. I've already reached my BaoHuckmon form!"

"Yeah, but you can't hold it yet," Gankoomon said, beginning to walk by the four. "Come on, kid. Girls."

The Sistermons and Huckmon nodded and followed after him. DarkKnightmon eyed him warily. Gankoomon caught his gaze and returned it, suddenly stopping.

DarkKnightmon turned away from him and began to walk down the dirt path. "We should get moving, you three," he said to them, walking before Gankoomon could follow up.

Gankoomon gave him a suspicious glance before turning to Omegamon Zwart. "You're a strange looking Omegamon…" he observed. "I've never seen one in all black… For that matter, Omegamons are pretty hard to come by to begin with. Were you formed when a BlackWarGreymon and a BlackMetalGarurumon jogressed or…?"

"No," Omegamon Zwart said tersely. He then walked after DarkKnightmon. "Goodbye."

Gankoomon raised a finger and scratched at his cheek, watching as the four travellers took off in the opposite direction. "Hm…"

"What's up, Gankoomon?" Sistermon Noir asked him.

"Nothing… Just got a gut feeling all of a sudden…" Gankoomon replied.

"Yeah? And what's your gut saying?" she inquired.

"That I might have just said a little too much…" he responded, tugging the hem of his jacket forward on his shoulder. "We better not go too far today."

"You're the boss," Sistermon Noir said, raising one of her guns and resting it against her shoulder. Sistermon Blanc nodded in agreement.

Huckmon frowned and looked over his shoulder at DarkKnightmon's group. "Are you saying you don't trust them? They seemed so cool. They looked really strong."

"Yeah. Four megas. And I could tell that they were stronger than most regular mega level Digimon. That's what bothers me. But like I said, it's just a feeling."

"Your instincts are usually right," Huckmon told him.

Gankoomon gave the group of four a final look before turning forwards and walks away from them, down the path. "Let's go. We'll head west."

Huckmon and the Sistermons nodded and followed his lead.

Meanwhile, DarkKnightmon continued heading north, towards the clearing that Gankoomon specified.

"Odd fellow," MirageGaogamon said, glancing over his shoulder at the departing group.

"Gankoomon?" Dorbickmon spoke up. "I've heard of him. He's pretty active in this part of the continent. Kind of a knight-errant sort of deal."

"So, he's a mercenary with morals?" MirageGaogamon supposed pointedly.

Dorbickmon gave MirageGaogamon a sharp glance. "Don't get so high and mighty. Not with what we're about to do."

MirageGaogamon grimaced and continued walking silently.

"So, what's the plan?" Dorbickmon asked, looking to DarkKnightmon. "Think we can take those guardians? They must be pretty strong if they're guarding the World Tree."

"We'll have to," DarkKnightmon said matter-of-factly. He narrowed his eyes with cold calculation. "We defeat the guardians, set up a defensive perimeter, and take the World Tree hostage. Then, when the Royal Knights inevitably show up, we will bring them to their knees, one way or another."

* * *

><p>Alphamon, Dukemon, Grani, Magnamon, Dynasmon, and RhodoKnightmon flew through the air, heading north with determination. Both Dukemon and RhodoKnightmon stood on Grani's back, after some convincing from Dukemon that speed was mandatory. Grani still felt somewhat uncomfortable letting someone other than Dukemon ride on him.<p>

The morning sun graced them from one side and a cool breeze hit them from the other. They were in too much of a hurry to take in the sights of the middle of the continent. Just the six of them sortied to go after DarkKnightmon. Craniamon, Duftmon, UlforceVeedramon, Sleipmon, Examon, and the Captains stayed behind at headquarters to defend it, in case this turned out to be a diversion.

"My scouts should hopefully return to us shortly," Grani postulated, flying alongside the Royal Knights while carrying his two passengers.

"And if he's going to attack the World Tree like we think?" Dukemon asked, turning his head and looking over at Alphamon. He ignored RhodoKnightmon's hands on his shoulders, which were placed there on the pretext of keeping the pink knight balanced.

"Now, I'm almost positive that he is. I can sense it…" Alphamon explained.

"So can I," Magnamon said, frowning.

"If he is, then we need to stop him," the Lord of the Empty Seat responded to Dukemon.

"I still can't believe he would stoop so low," the gold knight bitterly spoke.

"He already broke one oath. Why not another one?" Dynasmon muttered.

"DarkKnightmon said he believed in Yggdrasil, but he was never that ardent in his belief," Alphamon explained. "Even so… to go to these lengths to hurt us…"

"We won't let him touch a single branch," Dukemon replied with a determined voice.

"What if this turns out to be a feint and this was a plan to draw us away from the castle?" RhodoKnightmon inquired, trying to dodge Dukemon's hair and cape as they blew in the wind at him.

"The other half of the knights is stationed back there. We have scouts on standby that can call either us or them for reinforcements, depending on who needs who," Alphamon said.

Dukemon grimaced and rubbed the insignia on his chest. "I have a bad feeling we're right…"

Grani narrowed his keen eyes and began to slow down. "I can see my scouts ahead," he informed the others.

The group looked ahead and saw three dots in the sky, which gradually grew larger as they neared. The first Digimon that was obvious was the large, eagle form of Aquilamon. Next to him was a similar but gryphon-shaped Digimon known as Holsmon. The final scout was the golden raptor Digimon Sparrowmon, who flew ahead towards the Royal Knights.

"Grani, Sir!" Sparrowmon cried out, rushing over, followed by the other two avian scouts.

"Sparrowmon," Grani exclaimed calmly, hovering in the air as his subordinate stopped in front of them. "Do you have news?"

Aquilamon flapped his wings and halted in front of the group. "We do. Grave news," he told them.

"DarkKnightmon and his companions are attacking the guardians of the Yggdrasil Tree!" the alarmed Sparrowmon told them.

Alphamon narrowed his eyes. "I knew it…" he whispered. He looked at the three members of the Reconnaissance Squadron. "Who is with him?"

"MirageGaogamon, Dorbickmon, and… Omegamon," Aquilamon replied with a wince.

Alphamon closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "I see…" He then opened them, staring at the scouts with resolve. "Return to Headquarters. Tell the other Royal Knights to reinforce us, and get Captain Knightmon to tighten the defences just in case."

"We aren't going to wait for them to arrive, are we?" Dukemon asked with an impatient look in his eyes.

"No. The World Tree is in danger. We'll go ahead of them and engage DarkKnightmon immediately," Alphamon explained. "At the very least, we'll keep them at bay until the others arrive, but hopefully we'll be able to defeat them."

"Suits me fine," Dynasmon replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Me, as well," RhodoKnightmon concurred. "It is high time that we put a stop to this."

Magnamon looked at the scouts. "Were there any signs of DarkKnightmon's mercenaries?"

"Not that we saw, Sir Magnamon," Holsmon replied. "And we covered a pretty wide grid."

"We can't entirely rule out the possibility, however," Grani pointed out. The Zero ARMS looked at the three scouts. "Please hurry as fast as you can."

"Whatever you say!" Sparrowmon replied dutifully, giving Grani a lingering glance before shooting off southwards. Aquilamon and Holsmon bowed their heads at the knights before following.

Alphamon turned and looked at his comrades. "We have to hurry. The World Tree and its guardians need us."

Without another word, the Royal Knights began tearing through the sky, hoping to reach the tree before it was too late.


	36. Chapter 25 Part 2: The World Tree

(Author's Notes: And now for the exciting conclusion of Chapter 25...)

**Chapter 25: The World Tree (Part II)**

Beams streaked through the air, dragging through the earth and cutting down trees explosively.

DarkKnightmon and his team had reached their destination. As soon as they made their intentions clear, the guardians of the World Tree attacked them in defence of the sacred site. Many guardians descended to clash with them, but many were beaten down by their strength.

DarkKnightmon levelled his Twin Spear with a plethora of different Digimon, largely Ultimate level, and fired a torrent of dark energy from the tip. The pillar of darkness soared across a large clearing in the forest, swallowing several of the defenders and blasting them away.

The clearing itself was massive. It was nearly two kilometers in diameter, though it had to be, given what was in the center of it. Colourful, vibrant flowers littered most of the clearing, but several of them were dying under the weight and oppression of the sudden attacks.

In the exact middle of the clearing was the titan of all trees. The World Tree. The tree was the biggest in the whole continent - perhaps in the whole of the Digital World. It could be seen from kilometers around. It was magnificent to behold. The tree was a massive yew tree that bloomed a beautiful, vibrant green colour year round. It put to shame all of the other trees around it. There were countless branches, big and small, extending from the main trunk of the tree. Some of the branches were long and thick enough to support even massive Digimon.

DarkKnightmon and his team couldn't even see the top of the tree, as it reached all the way up into the clouds, the highest boughs of the tree extending into the stratosphere. This was a cause of concern for them, as they were unable to spot Valdurmon through the clouds.

Not only was the World Tree tall, but it was extremely thick as well. The cross section of the tree trunk was a few hundred meters. This grandness extended to the tree's roots as well. The World Tree's three roots were massive. They were one hundred meters thick at their thickest. One of the three roots protruded from the ground in the clearing and reached all the way up to the clouds in a serpentine way. The other two roots were mostly underground, with one leading into a huge, misty lake from which many rivers flowed, located in the far north of the continent, and the other one leading south, with the root piercing from one side of the Chasm of Creation to the other.

However, the landscape was now littered with the unconscious and wounded bodies of the defenders of the World Tree. DarkKnightmon and his team fought wave after wave of defenders

Four Moosemon were the next to jump down from the thick branches of the World Tree. "Begone, blasphemers!" one of them yelled, lunging towards Dorbickmon. "Horn Blade!"

Dorbickmon watched as the Moosemon's antlers glowed and become razor sharp. He swapped sword hands, swept the Tyrant Collbrande to the side, and coiled his right fist back. As the Moosemon slashed at him, Dorbickmon side stepped and cracked his fist painfully across the Moosemon's jaw, punching him out of the air. When the Moosemon crashed into the ground and flailed in an attempt to get back up, Dorbickmon stabbed his sword into the ground. "Burning the Dragon!"

The sword seemed to tremble in the ground from the sheer power it tapped into before pulsing with an inferno of flames. In less than a second, a block of earth burst from the ground below the Moosemon, shooting up with unbelievable speed and power. The Moosemon was propelled forty feet into the air and disappeared behind the canopies of the trees surrounding the wide clearing.

"Oh, shit!" Dorbickmon explained with both surprise and exhilaration at the unexpected surge of power in his attack. "I must have tapped into a well of dragon veins!"

"It's thought that the source of the dragon veins is beneath this tree," DarkKnightmon remarked as he struck his spear across one of the attacking Moosemon. "The place from… where the leylines cross together and originate. No… wonder your attack is amplified."

"Hahah!" Dorbickmon laughed with adrenaline. "I can feel its power pumping through me! This is going to be fun! Almost makes me wonder if Fanglongmon really is sealed underneath this big plant!"

MirageGaogamon narrowed his eyes and flew speedily yet carefully around the World Tree, looping back around and slamming his plated shoulder into the side of the Moosemon that had attacked him, sending the mammal Digimon skidding across the ground and gasping for breath. The wolf warrior turned around to watch Omegamon Zwart slash his Grey Sword out, slicing it across the final Moosemon's chest and causing the defender to cry out and collapse in a heap.

He thought to himself quietly before flying over and landing next to DarkKnightmon. Omegamon Zwart walked over as well, cool steam still flowing from the muzzle of his arm cannon. For the first time since they arrived there, there was silence apart from the groans and moans of the wounded defenders.

"It's all quiet now…" MirageGaogamon observed. "Have we defeated them all?"

"Valdurmon has not appeared yet," Omegamon Zwart pointed out, his steely, crimson eyes scanning the clouds and branches carefully.

"I doubt he's up there _all_ the time," Dorbickmon said.

DarkKnightmon quietly thought to himself while looking around the area. A soft breeze blew through the trees, causing the branches and leaves to rustle. On the undercurrent of the gentle sound, there was a trace of rumbling echoes in the distance.

MirageGaogamon, having the best hearing of the four, turned around and looked up. "DarkKnigh—"

"Aurora Undulation!" the voice thundered from above.

Before the voice even finished, a surge of light beamed down and seared into Omegamon Zwart's armour before he had any time to react, crushing him into the ground. The light swept out from around the fallen knight and scorched the area around him.

"What?!" Dorbickmon growled with surprise, keeping his blade embedded in the ground.

"It was so fast…" MirageGaogamon spoke, raising his gauntlets up and opening the wolf-like mouth on his breastplate. "I barely saw it coming…"

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and looked up. "It must be…"

A giant, majestic, white bird burst through the clouds, diving down towards them at incredible speeds. He poised his six wings behind him as he descended from the heavens, honing in on the ones who would invade and desecrate the holy tree.

Omegamon Zwart grunted with pain and annoyance, stabbing his Grey Sword into the ground and pushing himself up. "Valdurmon," he spoke, glaring up at the holy bird Digimon.

As Valdurmon grew closer, the four were able to see his form more clearly. His beautiful feathers of white and pale purple, blue, yellow and green, almost like that of an opal, shone and sparkled in the afternoon sun. The wings were emitting what looked like a holy light, in fact. His yellow beak and four-toed claws tensed up with anger and his grey eyes narrowed. Valdurmon swooped down the side of the tree. His majestic form was backed by a glory – a beautiful, rainbow-like halo that resonated around his body.

"It's beautiful…" MirageGaogamon said with awe.

"Don't be distracted," Omegamon Zwart told him, narrowing his eyes at the bright light approaching him. He aimed his cannon at Valdurmon and waited for a good shot.

"Who are you?!" Valdurmon demanded with a boom. He glared and flapped his wings strongly to slow his descent. The giant, holy bird stopped and hovered high above them, observing the four attackers. His light, grey eyes widened upon seeing DarkKnightmon. "DarkKnightmon?! But… What is going on here?! This is a neutral area! The World Tree is a holy site!"

"We are well aware of that, Valdurmon," DarkKnightmon replied matter-of-factly.

"Then leave at once! This is a place of peace and unity!"

"Our work here is unavoidable, I'm afraid," DarkKnightmon explained, gazing up at him. "It would be easier for everybody involved if you just flew off and allowed us to do what we need to do."

"Just who do you think you're talking to, DarkKnightmon?!" Valdurmon thundered scathingly, as if he had been insulted. "I don't know what it is you plan to do here, but I can sense your malicious intent. It is my sworn duty to protect this tree from harm! If you plan to harm it, then you will have to go through me!"

DarkKnightmon sighed. "Of course…" he spoke, shaking his head. The knight looked up and aimed one end of his Twin Spear at Valdurmon. "I respect your commitment, Valdurmon. It's commendable. Unfortunately, I am determined as well." He looked at Omegamon Zwart, MirageGaogamon and Dorbickmon, and nodded.

"Burning the Dragon!"

"Garuru Cannon!"

"Full Moon Blaster!"

DarkKnightmon watched as spears and chunks of rock burst from the ground and flew towards Valdurmon, flanked by a large, whirling sphere of freezing energy and a long, incandescent beam. DarkKnightmon added to the volley of attacks with a dark violet beam of his own, launching the shadows from his Twin Spear.

The four attacks ascended towards Valdurmon as he looked on with a scowl. Until…

"Purge Shine!" Valdurmon swept his six wings out in front of him. His feathers radiated a heavy, luminous aura and the glory around him intensified. The four attacks slammed into his body and exploded in a massive burst of shadows, ice, and debris.

The cloud then cleared with a mighty flap of Valdurmon's wings, sending trails of the shimmering vapour out with each flap. He was completely untouched by the attacks.

"What?" DarkKnightmon asked with genuine surprise.

"What the hell?! There's no way he just shrugged that off when my attack is supercharged!" Dorbickmon protested with wide eyes.

"That's right…" Omegamon Zwart said to himself, lowering his cannon and narrowing his blood red eyes with thought. "Valdurmon's ability… I remember it…"

Valdurmon looked at Omegamon with surprise and then a scowl. "Omegamon… Is that…? Did you…?" The holy bird closed his eyes. "I will show you no solace."

"Purge Shine. His aura creates a barrier that nullifies any attack performed with evil intent," Omegamon Zwart explained, recalling his memories privy to that of a Royal Knight.

"Evil intent…" DarkKnightmon said to himself with a frown.

"Is that what that was?" MirageGaogamon asked with a grimace, looking down at his hands.

"Any attack you make against this tree can only be made with evil intent," Valdurmon warned them. "Leave here at once and never return. Otherwise, I will be forced to crush you where you stand."

"Fuck this!" Dorbickmon snarled, gripping the Tyrant Collbrande tightly. He tapped into the well of dragon veins beneath him and forced the blazing sword to thicken and elongate to massive proportions, to the extent that Dorbickmon had to put all of his might into pulling it from the ground and keeping it steady. "Hragh!" he shouted with effort, hoisting the Tyrant Collbrande over his head. The sword stood at nearly a hundred meters tall. The flowers around him wilted and died from the sheer heat. "We don't have to defeat him! We only have to get past him!"

Dorbickmon released a throaty snarl and slashed the Tyrant Collbrande down towards the World Tree.

"It's too soon!" DarkKnightmon called out in protest, but the momentum was already too great.

The sword fell towards the tree. However, Valdurmon was quick to act. He soared in front of the descending blade, getting between it and the tree, and unleashed more of the same aura from his form.

"Purge Shine!" Valdurmon called out.

The blade of purple fire hacked across Valdurmon's body, but the flames were snuffed out as soon as they touched his aura. The massive Tyrant Collbrande simply went passed him, but continued its swing down to the ground. At the base of the tree, the flames continued on, burning into the thick bark where the tree was too low for Valdurmon's aura to reach.

Valdurmon's eyes widened with rage when he saw the fire cut into the wood. Although it could have been much worse had Valdurmon not intervened, the minimal damage caused was a symbolic blow to the World Tree's avian defender. "You will pay for that, scum!" he shouted furiously. "Aurora Undulation!"

Just as Dorbickmon began to shorten his blade to defend himself, a blaze of light from Valdurmon's wings already reached him and burned into him, moving at almost light speed. Dorbickmon cried out as his armour was seared and he staggered back with pain.

Two more bursts of light then surged from Valdurmon's body, engulfing DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon, and Omegamon Zwart before they could react either. They were crushed into the ground, sending a wave of dirt out around them.

MirageGaogamon groaned and rolled onto his back, his cape singed and smoking. "It's so fast… Even I can't avoid it once it's fired…"

Omegamon Zwart glared hard and pulled himself to his feet, looking over at DarkKnightmon, who did the same after a few moments of struggle.

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes. "Everybody!" he called to his comrades. "When you attack Valdurmon, don't think about the short term. Don't think about defeating him or attacking the World Tree when you attack. In other words, do not think about the little evil that we have to do in order to achieve greater good. When you attack him, think about our goal; think about what we want to achieve… how we wish to improve the Digital World for the better. When you strike him, strike him down with righteousness in your hearts."

Omegamon Zwart narrowed his eyes in what seemed like a grimace and brought his Garuru Arm up to his chest. "I… cannot," he replied simply.

DarkKnightmon turned and looked at Omegamon with a silent gaze. He slowly realized the extent of which Omegamon had been changed by the dark data and black digitron; he was incapable of acting out of goodness. After a moment of silence, he turned his head away from him. "…Very well."

"I don't care about your damn goal!" Dorbickmon snarled as pain and anger and frustration coursed through his body. He glared through the smoke that rose from his form, up at Valdurmon. "I'm not doing this for your frigging ideal world! In fact, I think you're just deluding yourselves that you can actually change things!"

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and turned to stare at Dorbickmon. "Think what you like. You may have given up on the world, but I have not. All I know is that you cannot defeat Valdurmon with only revenge in your heart."

Dorbickmon snarled and angrily slashed the ground with his sword. "Tch. Revenge…" he growled to himself. He narrowed his violet eyes balefully and glared into the flames of the Tyrant Collbrande. "_I don't even know anymore… Damn it… Damn you, Examon. Why did you have to talk to me…? Why couldn't I just kill you?_"

An agitated glare formed on Valdurmon's face. "Enough of this," he said, his wings radiating with brilliant light. The glory began to intensify and expand, indicating that he was ready to attack.

"MirageGaogamon!" DarkKnightmon said to him with a strong, sincere voice. "Are you with me?!"

"I…" MirageGaogamon stalled for a few moments. However, his eyes met DarkKnightmon's yellow ones, and he was once again inspired by the zeal and ambition that had inspired him many years ago. MirageGaogamon's gaze hardened with resolve and trust in DarkKnightmon. "Always, Sir."

"Aurora Undulation!" Valdurmon spoke.

"Now!" DarkKnightmon called to MirageGaogamon.

MirageGaogamon flew towards Valdurmon, drawing the holy bird's attention as a target. The eagle Digimon turned to him and began to unleash a huge ray of light towards him. MirageGaogamon saw the attack discharge from Valdurmon's aura and his body suddenly blurred. The burning rays washed over his body and he completely disappeared within the folds of light.

Valdurmon watched as his attack streaked across the field in mere milliseconds, and, when brilliant light dissipated, MirageGaogamon was nowhere to be found. Satisfied that he had deleted one of the attackers, he then turned to DarkKnightmon threateningly. "I won't ask you again."

"Double Crescent Mirage!" a voice shouted out from his right side.

"What?!" Valdurmon explained, his eyes widening. "_He actually dodged my light speed attack?!_"

The eagle watched as two crescent moon-shaped shock waves flew towards him. He flapped his wings and spread his defensive aura, Purge Shine, out in front of himself.

To Valdurmon's utter shock, the crescents soared straight through his barrier and collided with his body, exploding on contact. The holy bird Digimon unleashed a winded squawk and fell backwards, his back colliding with the World Tree. He flapped his wings vigorously and tried to compose himself. "I- I don't understand," he stammered, panting and wincing with agony at the burning pain in his chest. "How did your attacks go through my Purge Shine?! You're a bunch of destroyers and blasphemers who want to attack the World Tree! How can your attacks be free from evil intent?!"

MirageGaogamon stared at him. "It's because I believe that DarkKnightmon can create a better world – a safer world. One where Digimon will be safe from suffering. That's what _I'm_ fighting for."

"That is what I'm fighting for as well," DarkKnightmon spoke from behind Valdurmon, raising his Twin Spear and pointing it at his back. Coldly, he fired a beam of darkness from his spear, which also managed to break through the World Tree's protector's Purge Shine. The dark matter and shadows slammed into Valdurmon's back and battered him from behind. "But it isn't just me. To create a better world, I need the strength of my comrades. I need your strength, MirageGaogamon."

"You have it, Sir," MirageGaogamon assured him. The former Captain burst through the air and rend his claws down Valdurmon's chest, ripping through surface flesh and feathers.

Valdurmon released a deep trill of pain in response. With a twitching eye, he glared at the blue Digimon in front of him and he fought through the stinging pain in his chest. His body glowed intensely and he released an Aurora Undulation onto MirageGaogamon at point blank range. The light washed over the lupine warrior and sent him reeling into the ground with burns and fractures in his armour.

DarkKnightmon saw an opening, as it took Valdurmon time to recharge after each attack. He began to spin the Twin Spear around in his hands. Valdurmon felt the presence looming behind him and he flapped his wings, moving sluggishly from his wounds, to turn around and counterattack. However, he wasn't fast enough. The tendrils of shadows were already working up into a cyclone from DarkKnightmon's weapon.

"Treason Vortex," DarkKnightmon spoke, spinning the Twin Spear rapidly in his nimble hands. A tornado of darkness shot from the pole arm towards Valdurmon, beginning to swallow up his giant form.

"Rgh. Purge Shine!" Valdurmon shouted defiantly.

The shadows around Valdurmon collided with his aura, which expanded around him to try and break free from the consuming darkness. The light and darkness contended with each other for control but the darkness soon broke through and enveloped Valdurmon completely.

The holy bird Digimon unleashed a deep howl as his body was pounded and slashed from all sides. The shadows tore at his wings, back, legs, and chest as the black and violet vortex grew stronger and more intense, even beginning to rip at the bark and branches of the World Tree.

DarkKnightmon finally slowed the spinning of his spear and the Treason Vortex began to fade, revealing the lacerated and badly beaten form of Valdurmon. The holy bird promptly crashed to the ground in a heap.

The dark knight flew to the ground and looked over at where MirageGaogamon had landed. "Are you alright, Captain?"

"F-Fine…" MirageGaogamon responded, trying his best to sit up.

Dorbickmon frowned and walked over to the unconscious bird, lightly kicking at his giant form. "Glad that's done. He was a real pain in the ass to deal with."

"Only if you have a selfish heart," MirageGaogamon spoke, getting to his knees and looking up at Dorbickmon with heavy implications.

"If you've got something to say, say it, puppy," Dorbickmon told him, sneering at him.

"Don't start," DarkKnightmon said to them. "This fight has only just begun. I'm counting on the Royal Knights showing up, so we need to stand-"

"DarkKnightmon!" a voice resounded commandingly from behind them.

"…united," DarkKnightmon finished, slowly turning around.

The other three turned to look as well.

They saw Alphamon, descending from the sky. He summoned the glowing Seiken Gradalpha in his right hand as he flew towards the ground. Right behind him were Magnamon, Dynasmon, and Dukemon and RhodoKnightmon, who stood atop Grani.

"Impeccable timing," Dorbickmon growled. "DarkKnightmon?"

"Not just yet…" DarkKnightmon replied. He turned and nodded over at the giant World Tree behind him.

Dorbickmon nodded and stabbed his sword into the ground again, drawing draconic power from the leylines. The Tyrant Collbrande pulsed and trembled, the blade of fire growing larger and larger as Dorbickmon drew it from the earth. He then held the sword at a horizontal angle, placing the sword dangerously close to the side of the World Tree, seeming to use it as a hostage.

At this, the Royal Knights glared. RhodoKnightmon jumped to the ground. Dynasmon landed as well, cracking his large knuckles. Magnamon, Dukemon, and Grani remained in the air.

Alphamon's gaze lingered on Omegamon Zwart for several seconds before he pulled his gaze away to stare at DarkKnightmon. "DarkKnightmon… What is this?" he asked him.

"Alphamon… You're earlier than I expected," DarkKnightmon said to the Lord of the Empty Seat.

"So this was to draw us out?" Alphamon asked him with a hard leer.

"Not in it of itself, no," the dark knight responded. "I merely knew that it was inevitable that you all would show up when this tree was threatened."

"That 'tree' is the _World Tree_," Dynasmon told him with a growl to his words.

"Whatever you're trying to do here, DarkKnightmon, stop it. It's pointless," Magnamon added.

"On the contrary, Magnamon," DarkKnightmon assured him, aiming his Twin Spear at the group, prompting Omegamon Zwart and MirageGaogamon to ready themselves as well. Dorbickmon held his burning sword closer to the tree trunk.

"Stop this at once, DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon warned him.

"Disgusting. Using the World Tree as a hostage… Is there any part of your oath that you _didn't_ break?" Dynasmon asked him with bitter rage.

"Yes," DarkKnightmon responded matter-of-factly. "'I pledge my blood, my data, my heart, and my soul to the betterment of the Digital World and those who reside in it.' The most important part, in my opinion."

"You're still on about that?" Dynasmon asked him angrily. He extended his arm and gestured to the unconscious bodies of Digimon littering the clearing. "What about them? What about the World Tree: the place that so many people look to with wonder and hope?"

"My faith isn't what it used to be, Dynasmon. I am much more pragmatic now," the dark knight calmly explained.

Alphamon shook his head. "You're different, alright… You aren't the DarkKnightmon that I was proud to call my brother."

"That's something that I'll have to live with, Alphamon," DarkKnightmon said to him. He raised his free hand and signalled to the others. "Attack."

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon Zwart immediately called out, firing a blast of freezing energy from his cannon at Alphamon.

"Full Moon Blaster!" MirageGaogamon howled, unleashing a stream of power from the mouth on his chest. The shimmering jet ripped across the ground towards RhodoKnightmon, who nimbly dodged it.

Dorbickmon dug his blade into the edge of the tree before swinging the massive flames outwards, sweeping it through the air at Dukemon, Grani, and Magnamon. Magnamon dove down while Grani ascended, both narrowly missing being torched by the attack.

Alphamon flew upwards and slashed down with his sword to propel Omegamon Zwart's attack into the ground. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw a pillar of shadows already flooding towards them, prompting him to shoot to the side. He winced when the stream of darkness clipped his wing, but he was spared a serious blow. He spun around and aimed his palm at DarkKnightmon, but saw that the World Tree was directly behind his opponent, prompting him to think twice. It wasn't safe for him to use the massive variant of his Digitalize of Soul attack here, nor could Dynasmon use his Breath of Wyvern attack, as it was. There was too much risk to the World Tree and the wounded defenders.

"Don't let them set the tone of the fight! Pick your targets and attack! And watch your aim!" Alphamon called out to the other Royal Knights.

"I have the doggie!" RhodoKnightmon responded, clutching one of his ribbon swords and clashing it with MirageGaogamon's claw gauntlet. His other ribbon shot out and wrapped around MirageGaogamon's free wrist, preventing him from stabbing him with the other one.

Alphamon turned towards Omegamon Zwart. He knew that he had to do this. He had to get through to Omegamon somehow. However, he knew that it wouldn't be easy. "Omegamon!" he called out, dashing towards him with his sword in his hand.

Omegamon Zwart narrowed his eyes and raised his Grey Sword to counter him. "Alphamon…" He levelled his cannon with the charging knight and fired.

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon retaliated, launching a large beam from his left hand. The pillar of emerald power collided with the blast of ice and exploded in a flash of light blue mist and green strands. Alphamon burst through the residue of the blasts and continued charging Omegamon Zwart.

DarkKnightmon, seeing this, began to run to intercept him, but a powerful helix of energy swept in front of him, blocking his path. He narrowed his eyes and turned to see Dynasmon glaring at him, his palms smoking with elemental power.

"Magnamon, with me!" Dynasmon called out to the gold knight, dashing towards DarkKnightmon. "It's time for round two!"

"I have you covered!" Magnamon replied, taking a powerful stance in the air. "Plasma Shoot!"

Missiles launched from Magnamon's shoulders and steamed through the air, arcing downwards and landing in front of DarkKnightmon. The missiles exploded with small, contained bursts, sending detonations of gold and dirt flying up in DarkKnightmon's face. The black knight recoiled with pain and disorientation.

To his surprise, the next thing he saw was Dynasmon burst through the smoke and drive his fist into DarkKnightmon's face. He was sent crashing onto his back, but he wasted no time in unleashing a beam of darkness from his lance. Although he made to dodge it, the shadows grazed across Dynasmon's leg, eliciting a wince of pain from the knight.

Snarling, Dynasmon landed and charged at DarkKnightmon. "You stubborn ass!" he growled, driving his claws towards his former friend.

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and swung his Twin Spear around in his hand before stabbing it at the oncoming dragon man. Dynasmon caught the shaft of the spear in his hand and squeezed it tightly. With his other hand, he grabbed DarkKnightmon's face and squeezed it as well.

Grimacing, DarkKnightmon released a muffled grunt and unleashed dark matter from his spear, coating Dynasmon's claws before slamming into the Royal Knight himself.

"Magnum Punch!" Magnamon shouted from behind DarkKnightmon. His fist was coated with the golden light of Miracles as it pounded into DarkKnightmon's back with tonnes of pressure. DarkKnightmon released a winded gasp and arched his back with agony.

Magnamon narrowed his red eyes and used the momentum to spin around, raising his foot next. "Magnum Kick!"

Acting quickly through the pain, DarkKnightmon moved his spear behind him and blocked the powerful roundhouse kick with his blade.

Meanwhile, Grani swerved left and right with impressive aerial manoeuvres to avoid the boulders that ripped from the ground and flew at them at daunting speeds. Dukemon stood on Grani's back, keeping balanced as Dorbickmon kept up his Burning the Dragon attack, using his sword to hurl chunks of rock at them from the ground.

"Final Elysion!" Dukemon shouted, the sigils on his Aegis lighting up before unleashing a thick column of power down towards Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon grunted and lunged away, getting thrown mid flight by the resulting explosion. The dragon landed on a roll and positioned himself at the base of the World Tree, right next to Valdurmon's unconscious body. "Want to try that again, bucket head?!" Dorbickmon called up to him. He raised the Tyrant Collbrande over his head and extended the blade.

Grani veered to the left suddenly as Dorbickmon tried to hit them out of the sky with the blade. Dukemon aimed his lance at Dorbickmon but faltered. "He's using them as shields. I can't attack him like this. Can you try to circle around, Grani?" he asked his ride.

"It's no good, Dukemon," Grani responded. "You'll have to go down there and close in on him."

"Looks like it," Dukemon conceded. "But first… Dragon Driver!"

Grani complied and suddenly swooped down into a speedy nose dive. The Zero ARMS watched as the giant Tyrant Collbrande swung towards them again. He angled his body to the side, trying to avoid the attack with as little movement as possible. The pillar of purple fire swept along Grani's side, catching the tip of his right wing.

The Zero ARMS grunted in pain and faltered in his flight a bit. Grani quickly caught himself, keeping himself from spinning out of control, and he pulled up as they neared the ground.

Dorbickmon gritted his teeth as Dukemon and Grani closed in on him. "Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!" A swath of inferno poured from Dorbickmon's mouth onto Dukemon and Grani as they shot towards him, but even the burning flames didn't stop them. The two burst through the flames and collided with Dorbickmon, Grani's face in Dorbickmon's chest and Dukemon's lance in Dorbickmon's shoulder armour. The dragon mercenary roared out as he was thrown clear over Valdurmon's body, hitting the ground and rolling across it unceremoniously.

"You okay, Grani?" Dukemon asked with a wince as they began to circle around.

"I will be fine. You should dismount now," Grani assured him. "I will provide combat reconnaissance from overhead."

Dukemon nodded and lunged off Grani's back, dropping to the ground and landing gracefully on his feet. As his cape settled against his back, the crimson knight began running towards Dorbickmon, who was standing up.

Dorbickmon ignored the blood trickling down his left arm and brought his sword over his head, slashing it down on Dukemon. Dukemon skidded to a stop and blocked the blade with his lance. As the fire burned above him, he glared at the mercenary. "I know you're Examon's friend, but I'm not going to just let you attack the Yggdrasil Tree!"

"He's not my friend!" Dorbickmon snarled, pushing hard against Dukemon's defence and breaking through it.

Dukemon darted to the side as the blade slammed into the ground heavily, sending up a geyser of dirt and embers, which he protected himself against using the Aegis. "Then what happened the other day?!" Dukemon challenged. Energy began to spiral around the Gram lance as Dukemon readied his next attack. "Royal Sabre!" The power gathered at the tip of the lance and Dukemon thrust it forwards.

"Grugh! Shut up!" Dorbickmon roared as he stabbed his sword deeper into the ground. "I don't need life coaching from some jumped up, do-gooder tin can! Burning the Dragon!"

A shard of jagged rock burst from the ground and pounded across Dukemon's helmet, jerking his head upwards and causing a few shards to get into his visor. A large tendril of rock then reached up from the ground and grabbed the Gram in its coils.

Dukemon sneered and quickly retracted the lance, using his Royal Saber attack to rip the rocks to pieces. He then plunged the Gram towards Dorbickmon again. The mercenary snarled and met his attack, and the two clashed.

* * *

><p>The sounds of the fight echoed through the forest. The deep rumble of explosions, the screech of attacks, the sharp clanging of metal hitting metal… they all amounted to one thing: a battle in the Neutral Zone.<p>

Gankoomon stared through the forest with an unreadable expression. Flickers of yellow energy rose from his jacket-covered shoulders, underscored by a deep snarl.

"Yeah… I sense it too, Hinukamui," Gankoomon muttered to the light. He raised his hand to his visor and adjusted it. He looked above the canopies of the trees and saw smoke rising up from the base of the World Tree. "…Okay. I'm going," he said with unwavering resolve.

The two Sistermons looked over at him. "If you're sure…" Sistermon Blanc said uncertainly.

"Can we come too?" Sistermon Noir asked with an upbeat grin. "I'm dying to shoot something."

"No. Stay here and keep an eye on Huckmon," Gankoomon told them.

"What?!" Huckmon protested. "But I want to see what's going on, Gankoomon!"

"Tough luck. I'll tell you when I get back," the red-haired warrior responded.

"I can take care of myself in a fight," Huckmon insisted.

"Not one of this magnitude. Now, shut it and stay here, Huckmon. That's an order," Gankoomon said in a voice that left no room for argument.

Huckmon grimaced and kicked a nearby rock with frustration.

Gankoomon turned his gaze back to the Sistermons. "Make sure he doesn't slip away to follow me."

"Gotcha," Sistermon Noir replied.

"Be careful, Gankoomon, sir," Sistermon Blanc told him.

Gankoomon gave a terse nod. He turned around and made to start running, but something bright in the distance caught his eyes. "Get down!" he shouted, turning around and tackling all three of them to the ground.

A stray beam of light cut through the forest, hacking through trees. The beam descended in its trajectory and began tearing up the ground right beside them. When the light faded, the uplifted dirt began to settle. Gankoomon turned and saw a long ditch left by the attack no more than three meters away from them.

"Eep. That was close," Sistermon Noir said matter-of-factly.

"Really… c-close," her sister said with contrastingly wide eyes.

Gankoomon growled with anger and stood to his feet. "You three, get to a safer distance. I'll find you when I'm done."

"But Gankoomon," Huckmon began to protest.

"GO!"

The three stood up and began to hurry in the opposite direction from the battle. Gankoomon stood around and glared in the direction of the World Tree. As he did, the form of a massive, yellow, semi-incorporeal dragon began to rise up from his shoulders. The aura dragon had long arms, a horned, draconic head, and small wings sprouting from his back. He looked down at Gankoomon and then forwards at the distant battle with a soft growl.

"Come on, Hinukamui," Gankoomon said to the dragon that glimmered above him. "Let's find out whose ass we need to kick."

* * *

><p>The Seiken Gradalpha met with the Grey Sword and rebounded back. The two swords then met again in the peerless sword fight. Tendrils of light flared out from the holy sword as Alphamon held against Omegamon Zwart.<p>

"Omegamon! It's me, Alphamon!" Alphamon told the black knight.

"I'm… aware," Omegamon Zwart responded, defending against Alphamon's strike.

"Then you know that I'm your friend!" the leader of the Royal Knights insisted, trying his very best to get through to him.

"No… Not my friend," the black Omegamon answered, digging his boots into the ground and raising his Garuru Cannon. He pressed the muzzle against Alphamon's chest and fired, causing ice to explode around the knight's armour and send him crashing back onto his wings.

Alphamon coughed and felt a cold numb pain in his chest. He began to sit back up, but he saw the glint of the Grey Sword as it swept through the air, descending on Alphamon. The black knight grunted and rolled to the side, causing Omegamon's blade to slam into the ground with an explosive burst.

After quickly getting to his feet, Alphamon spun around and slashed with his sword. The Seiken Gradalpha hummed and crackled as it swept down onto Omegamon Zwart's Grey Sword once again. "We _are_ friends!" Alphamon passionately said. "You're one of the best friends that I've ever had!"

"You're a liar," Omegamon Zwart hissed. "You lie and you lie, and I intend to cut that silver tongue of yours out."

"I haven't lied to you!" Alphamon insisted.

Omegamon Zwart recoiled from the attack and began to charge up his cannon. "Another lie."

After a moment of introspection, Alphamon grimaced. "Alright. I did lie to you. I didn't know how to tell you about OuRyuumon and I. I was worried about how you would react!" he admitted.

"Because you didn't trust me," Omegamon Zwart said with cool, matter-of-factness.

"No!" Alphamon exclaimed. "I've always trusted you, Omegamon."

Omegamon scoffed and raised his Garuru Cannon, aiming it at Alphamon's face. Without giving the Royal Knight a chance to speak again, he fired.

This time, Alphamon was expecting the blast. He crouched down and tilted his head to the side, so that the orb of compressed power flew by him harmlessly and exploded into the trees on the other end of the clearing.

Alphamon dispersed his sword, rushed forwards and grabbed Omegamon's arms, holding them out so that he couldn't attack him. Omegamon Zwart glared at him with hateful red eyes and tried to free himself from Alphamon's grasp. "I'm sorry, Omegamon. I can't… tell you how sorry I am," Alphamon said to him between exerted breaths.

Omegamon Zwart narrowed his eyes. "You're far… too late…" The black and gold knight leaned back and brought his leg up, planting his boot firmly into Alphamon's gut. Alphamon's grunted as he was thrown away from his friend.

Alphamon grimaced and clutched his throbbing chest. "Omegamon… I will do anything… to get you back. If it means I have to defeat you in battle and take you as my prisoner… then so be it," he told him with his determination clear in his pained voice. His red eyes locked with Omegamon Zwart's. "And if I have to use my secret weapon to defeat you, then I'll do that too."

Alphamon forced himself to stand up straight. The Lord of the Empty Seat raised his right hand high into the sky, and energy began to form above his opened palm.

This caught DarkKnightmon's attention. As he tried to stave Dynasmon and Magnamon off with his spear, he looked across the battlefield. His eyes widened ever-so-slightly before he hardened his gaze and slammed his bladed shoulder into Dynasmon's chest.

A magic circle filled with meticulously designed shapes and digi letters formed over his head, spinning both clockwise and counter-clockwise at various levels in the circle. It was similar in shape to the one that Alphamon used when he jogress shinka'd with OuRyuumon, but the digi letters were different. Suddenly, Alphamon's eyes flashed green and light poured out of the circle onto him.

"Alpha inForce!"

"Damn it," DarkKnightmon muttered. "It's too soon…"

The light diminished and the Seiken Gradalpha was already in Alphamon's hand. He slashed the sword down towards Omegamon Zwart in a single, grand stroke. However, before the sword of light even finished the slash, there were already a multitudes of cuts and rends hacking through Omegamon Zwart's armour.

Omegamon Zwart let out a snarl of pain as new slash marks cut across this armour and through his cape, ripping and burning the thick metal. He slashed his Grey Sword out but it didn't help his defence much.

"What the hell?!" Dorbickmon demanded, bleeding from the mouth as he punched Dukemon away. "What did he do?!"

"He pulled out one of his trump cards," Dukemon informed him, already pouring energy into the Aegis before unleashing a Final Elysion attack into Dorbickmon, sending him skidding along the ground, his body smoldering.

DarkKnightmon cursed as Dorbickmon was struck down. While distracted, Dynasmon sent a Dragon's Roar blast into DarkKnightmon's chest, which sent him impacting the World Tree painfully. He slumped to the ground, but swiftly pulled himself back up and darted to the side before Magnamon could bring his fists down upon him.

Looking around again while still trying to keep focused on his two opponents, DarkKnightmon spotted MirageGaogamon. MirageGaogamon's arms were ensnared by RhodoKnightmon's sturdy ribbons, squeezing him tightly and keeping him from attacking. DarkKnightmon glowered. He realized that the tide of battle was turning against them. He knew that they had to act before they could be defeated.

DarkKnightmon levelled his Twin Spear at RhodoKnightmon and fired an intense blast of shadows from his weapon. The dark power howled as it ripped across the ground towards the pink knight.

RhodoKnightmon glanced over and saw the approaching column of darkness and was forced to release MirageGaogamon from his bonds so that he was able to jump away in time. The slender Royal Knight retracted his ribbons and took them as swords in his hands when he landed.

"It is time that we finished this up!" DarkKnightmon called to the others.

"I'll decide when this is finished!" Alphamon said to him, turning his attentions to DarkKnightmon briefly.

"Will you use your Alpha inForce on me, Alphamon?!" DarkKnightmon called to him. As he did this, he looked at Omegamon Zwart and gave him a subtle nod. "You know how much it drains you to use."

Pieces of Omegamon Zwart's armour fell from his form, and his body was wracked with pain, but nevertheless, he complied. While Alphamon was turned, he shot through the air, over to the World Tree.

"Alphamon!" Grani called out to him from above.

Alphamon sensed the movement and spun around, racing after Omegamon, but he was slowed when DarkKnightmon began firing beam after beam of dark power at him, forcing him to dodge the blasts. His eyes widened when he saw Omegamon Zwart point his Garuru Cannon at the World Tree, and he saw subzero beam energy brimming from the cannon's muzzle. "Omegamon! Don't do this!" he called to him.

Omegamon Zwart glanced over briefly, but merely began building more and more power into his cannon. He took aim at the massive tree in front of him.

"Omegamon!" Alphamon pleaded, reluctant to use his Alpha inForce to stop him, instead hoping that he could get through to Omegamon, who he knew was still in there, and make him _want_ to stop. "Listen to me, Omegamon! This isn't you! You've been brainwashed by DarkKnightmon and the power of the Dark Area! Remember who you are! Remember the oaths you took!"

Omegamon Zwart's gaze hardened and he looked like he was prepared to fire at the World Tree.

"Remember, Omegamon! You pledged to defend Yggdrasil! We all did! I was there with you when we took the oath!" Alphamon told him.

Omegamon Zwart winced subtly and lowered his cannon by just a centimeter.

"Fire, Omegamon!" DarkKnightmon called out to him, bringing his Twin Spear down on Magnamon, who blocked the attack with his golden arm bracers.

"Don't listen to him! Listen to Alphamon! Your friend!" Dukemon called out, using his shield to block a stream of fire pouring from Dorbickmon's maw.

"Ignore the traitors! Fire, Omegamon Zwart!" DarkKnightmon insisted, jumping away from Dynasmon.

Omegamon Zwart didn't reply. He just hovered in the air, his cannon pointed at the magnificent tree. He didn't fire and he didn't pull away. He just stared at the tree in front of him, as if contemplating each and every word that entered his ears.

"Omegamon Zwart, fire!" DarkKnightmon shouted to him.

Omegamon Zwart grimaced. He didn't fire. He remained completely still.

"Damn it… MirageGaogamon! Dorbickmon!" DarkKnightmon yelled to them. "With me! Do it!"

MirageGaogamon winced at the order, but obeyed. "Yes, Sir!"

Dorbickmon, sporting multiple battle wounds, snarled with adrenaline and ripped past Dukemon, dragging the Tyrant Collbrande through the ground as he ran. "Leave it to me!" he shouted, ripping the massive, blazing sword from the ground and letting it tower above everyone as he lifted it into the air.

"I think not!" RhodoKnightmon exclaimed, running over to MirageGaogamon as he prepared to fire from his chest. He extended his ribbons and wrapped one tightly around MirageGaogamon's neck, yanking him back just as the wolf man fired the cannon in his chest. The Full Moon Blaster attack speared upwards, away from its intended destination, merely slicing through several of the World Tree's branches, which collapsed to the ground.

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and aimed his own Twin Spear at the World Tree, prompting shock and outrage from Alphamon.

The Lord of the Empty Seat raced towards DarkKnightmon, gripping the Seiken Gradalpha tightly, and fully intent on using his Alpha inForce to stop him.

Magnamon glared and launched six missiles from his armour. "Plasma Shoot!"

Dynasmon let out a frustrated roar and followed suit, summoning Wyvern from his body. "BREATH OF WYVERN!"

The attacks shot forwards from the two Royal Knights, but they were too late. A huge pillar of shadows surged from the Twin Spear and tore through the sky towards the World Tree, just before Wyvern and the missiles collided with DarkKnightmon explosively. Despite the attacks detonating around DarkKnightmon, followed up by countless invisible strikes from Alphamon's Alpha inForce, DarkKnightmon's attack collided with the thick trunk of the World Tree, colliding with the wood and exploding, tearing into it.

The Royal Knights turned and watched with mortification as the side of the World Tree exploded, creating a huge hole in the side of the massive trunk.

DarkKnightmon grimaced and heaved with pain as fractures formed all over his armoured body, but he managed a faint smile when he saw that his attack as successful. He then turned to look at Dorbickmon through the smoke as the dragon slashed the elongated Tyrant Collbrande down.

The blazing sword collided with the trunk and branches of the World Tree and the inferno washed over the right side of the tree. The flames burned deep into the tree and multiple branches caught fire.

Dorbickmon then narrowed his eyes, watching as the flames spread from branch to branch, climbing up the tree, and added a double blast from his chest cannons into the side of the tree for good measure.

DarkKnightmon panted and felt blood drip from some of the cracks in his armour. "Retreat!" he called to the others.

The Royal Knights watched with horror and disbelief as the inferno took hold of the World Tree, only barely registering the DarkKnightmon had called for retreat.

"No…" Alphamon whispered, staring up at the blaze with wide eyes. His gaze hardened and he turned towards Omegamon Zwart, who was already flying away, with what seemed like a grim expression on his dark face. "Omegamon!"

Omegamon Zwart didn't respond.

MirageGaogamon hacked the ribbons away from him using a Double Crescent Mirage and he proceeded to retreat in a flash, not wanting to turn around and watch the burning of the World Tree.

In the chaos, DarkKnightmon and Dorbickmon made their escape before the Royal Knights were able turn their attentions away from the present disaster. For those bleak, painstaking moments, the Royal Knights could only look on helplessly as the World Tree continued to burn.


	37. Chapter 26: From the Ashes

**Chapter 26: From the Ashes**

"Right. Careful now," an accented voice said.

Streams of water trickled down the trunk of the World Tree and rain poured over its branches.

At the base of the titanic tree was the Royal Knight team that had come to intercept DarkKnightmon. Along with them were several other Digimon as well.

Several members of the Warrior Ten stood nearby. AncientMermaidmon used her water manipulation abilities to create a rain cloud, which she used to pour water on the burning branches, as well as create a steady hose of water which she used to pour over the more intense parts of the fire. AncientGreymon manipulated the fire itself, drawing the flames away from the tree and letting them fizzle out in the rain. Shurimon, the Warrior of Wood, stood by, waiting for the rest of the fire to be put out before going to try to repair the badly damaged parts of the tree. Meanwhile, he tried to revitalize the destroyed and damaged flowers. PileVolcamon stood nearby, using his own powers to shift the upturned soil over the ruts and craters caused by attacks, getting the earth ready for Shurimon.

The rain continued to pour solely over the World Tree from the clouds above. It proved to be a fitting image, considering how mangled much of the lower part of the tree looked. All along one side, the bark and wood was burnt and many of the branches were black, broken and skeletal. Fortunately, the Warrior Ten had arrived before the inferno could climb too high up the tree or spread to too much of the other side, but the damage was still painfully obvious. Despite this, the World Tree still stood strong. Something of such great height, thickness and importance was bound to be resilient, though the scars of the attack were clear on its mighty stature.

"I think that's about the last of it," AncientGreymon remarked, lifting his foreleg up to adjust the goggles on his helmet. The last of the embers were gone and the smoke dispersed in the wind.

The giant dragon flew towards the ground and became engulfed in light, taking on his KaiserGreymon form.

"Thank… you…" Valdurmon said weakly, still lying on the ground in pain.

AncientMermaidmon made her way over to him, using the legs of her more humanoid form for land motion. "You're next, big guy," AncientMermaidmon told him with a wink before shifting into her small, pink MarineAngemon form. "I'll get those injuries fixed in no time. Ocean Love~"

Alphamon, Dukemon, Magnamon, Dynasmon, and RhodoKnightmon stood nearby. They did what they could to help, but, with the exception of Dynasmon, who could utilize AncientMermaidmon's water abilities with his Dragon's Roar attack, they didn't have the right skill set to combat the fire. Alphamon had sent Grani to retrieve the Warrior Ten, but fortunately, a group of the Ten had already been on the way when they heard that the World Tree was under attack.

KaiserGreymon walked over to the Royal Knights and stopped in front of them, folding his arms.

Alphamon stood next to Dukemon, whose hands were on his shoulder to help him stand. Using the Alpha inForce was physically exhausting due to the sheer amount of skill and power it took to use. "Thanks, Kaiser," Alphamon told him, holding his hand out towards the dragon knight.

KaiserGreymon took Alphamon's hand and shook it firmly. "Don't worry about it, mate. How are you feeling?"

"Humbled," Alphamon said plainly.

"Come on now. You routed the guys who did this, didn't you?" KaiserGreymon encouraged him, placing his hands on his hips.

"And we nearly allowed the World Tree – the embodiment of Yggdrasil - to be burnt to a crisp," Alphamon countered. "I believe that's called winning the battle but losing the objective."

"We can't start blaming ourselves for this," Dukemon said to Alphamon from the knight's side. "That's what DarkKnightmon wants. That was why DarkKnightmon attacked the tree in the first place."

"I know…" Alphamon said with a sigh. "You're right. But still, I can't help but feel at least a bit responsible."

"Don't dwell on it. Learn from it. I know it's a cliché, but it's sound advice," KaiserGreymon advised him. He folded his arms and took on a stern, serious expression. "So… DarkKnightmon…"

"He's the one who attacked us before, is he not?" PileVolcamon asked, walking over to them.

"Yeah…" Magnamon replied sheepishly, remembering hearing that DarkKnightmon had attacked PileVolcamon and AncientKazemon when he escaped from the Dark Area. "Sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologise. He may be your former teammate, but you're not responsible for the things that he does," the Warrior of Flames proclaimed.

"Is that why you metal brains didn't ask for our help at all?" MarineAngemon said, sticking her tongue out at them as she used her Ocean Love ability to heal them.

"Yeah, you should have kept us in the loop more," KaiserGreymon said to them. "We've been allies since the Heavenly War. We're not your allies for nothing, I hope you know."

"We know… I guess we viewed it as a private matter," Alphamon admitted. He looked up at the World Tree regretfully. "It's a very private matter now…"

"I'm a strong believer in teamwork," KaiserGreymon exclaimed, hinting that he wanted to be involved in this matter.

"Except when it's you who wants to do something on your own," the Warrior of Water playfully teased him.

"Yeah, if this was you and your arch enemy Gaiomon, you wouldn't have called us, I'm betting," Dynasmon pointed out, folding his arms and looking at KaiserGreymon accusingly.

KaiserGreymon folded his arms and gave him an annoyed look. "Hey, Mer, can you cure Dynasmon's big mouth while you're fixing everybody?"

"Doubt it; I could never fix yours," she chimed in response, finishing with Valdurmon and beginning to heal the cuts and bruises that the Royal Knights sustained. "Although, Dynasmon, you might have to remove your armour while I patch you up." MarineAngemon looked over and stuck his tongue out at him playfully.

Dynasmon managed a grin, despite his mood the last few days. "That can be arranged…"

"I wouldn't mind seeing that either," RhodoKnightmon exclaimed, perking up. "What say you, Alphamon?" he added, hinting at the Lord of the Empty Seat now that he knew his sexual preferences.

Alphamon sheepishly looked away. At the same time, Dynasmon's face darkened a bit and he looked in the direction opposite from Alphamon, reminded of why he was angry at him.

KaiserGreymon and the Warrior of Water exchanged confused glances. They were even more curious now.

PileVolcamon cleared his throat, looking over as Shurimon began to quietly restore parts of the tree. "Anyways… DarkKnightmon attacked the World Tree, correct?" he asked the Royal Knights. "Does he aim to destroy it completely?"

"In other words, is he coming back?" KaiserGreymon added.

"We're not sure," Alphamon replied. "They did seem to only get a few shots off at the tree before we routed them. Either way, I sent Grani to the headquarters to return with OuRyuumon and a large branch of the Strike Forces and some of the Shield Guards."

Magnamon folded his arms and observed the World Tree. "Still. What a disaster… This isn't going to be a good reflection on us."

"Nobody needs to know once Shurimon works his magic," KaiserGreymon suggested, nodding over to the Warrior of Wood.

"No," Alphamon said. "Secrecy in the Order would be more damning than the fact that we let this happen to the World Tree."

"Now, he says…" Dynasmon scoffed.

KaiserGreymon frowned and looked between Alphamon and Dynasmon, picking up on the increasingly obvious tension between them. "…Are you two having a row?"

Alphamon and Dynasmon replied with 'no' and 'yes' respectively.

Unsatisfied, the Warrior of Flames folded his arms. "What about?"

"I'm guessing Kaiser doesn't know, does he, Alphamon?" Dynasmon said, glancing over at the black knight with a sharp, challenging gaze. "Why don't you tell him?"

"Dynasmon…" Magnamon chastised.

Alphamon sighed. "No, it's okay…" he replied in a resigned voice. Despite his words, there was still a hint of trepidation in his tone. "I'm bisexual."

KaiserGreymon blinked. "Oh…" he spoke with shock. He took to silence for several seconds, taking his words in. "…Hey! Great!" he suddenly followed up.

At this surprising amount of cheer, both Alphamon and Dynasmon raised an eyebrow.

"Oooh! Really?!" MarineAngemon asked with a little too much excitement, zooming over from Dukemon to look at Alphamon. There was a mischievous glint in her large, excited eyes. "Sooo, how many guys have you slept with?"

"I, too, would like to know!" RhodoKnightmon implored.

With a bead of sweat rolling down from his head, Alphamon pretended not to hear them. Instead, he continued with KaiserGreymon. "You don't mind?" he asked.

"Hey, I'm nothing if not open-minded, thank you very much," he protested defensively.

Dynasmon frowned at KaiserGreymon's words. "And the fact that he kept it a secret? I know how much you hate it whenever AncientGarurumon keeps secrets from you. That's one of the main things that you bitch about, Kaiser. What's different now?"

"Yeah, sure, it annoys me a little," the dragon Digimon admitted. "But I suppose I can understand Alphamon not wanting to say anything. I get not wanting to be labelled one thing or another. This is coming from a master of fires, by the way; I have the potential to burn down a town in a flash, so every time I'm recognized in a new place, I definitely attract a lot of worried and dirty looks."

"That and the fact that you often end up causing property damage while trying to save people," MarineAngemon reminded him before shifting back into her AncientMermaidmon form.

"That's beside the point," KaiserGreymon huffed.

"I see…" Dynasmon muttered. He glanced over at Alphamon. "And what about the very idea that your friend might label you at all?"

"Really, it wasn't like that, Dynasmon…" Alphamon assured him, his gaze softening at the white and violet dragon knight. "But I couldn't pick and choose who could know and who couldn't; that wouldn't have been fair and it was likely that somebody would have inadvertently let it slip. It either had to be everybody or nobody… and I wasn't ready for everybody to know yet."

Dynasmon sighed out his nostrils and closed his eyes. "Yeah, whatever…" he said, meandering away from the group.

Dukemon noticed Alphamon watching as Dynasmon receded. "Give him time. You know how stubborn he can get," Dukemon said to him with a pat on his shoulder.

"Want me to go and talk to him?" KaiserGreymon offered, stepping forwards. "I know my way around him."

"Better to let him cool off," Dukemon replied. He gestured to the visibly damaged World Tree. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about right now."

"Like how to defend the World Tree?" RhodoKnightmon asked.

"If that's even his next move," Magnamon replied. "Maybe he made his point already and won't take this attack any further."

"But can we take that risk?" Alphamon responded to the gold knight. He gave KaiserGreymon a decisive look. "And don't say, 'who dares, wins'."

Before KaiserGreymon could retort, Dynasmon hurried back over to them, running through a vestigial wisp of smoke. "Somebody's coming," he told them quickly.

When the group looked at him, Dynasmon pointed down the clearing. The Royal Knights and Legendary Warriors readied themselves as they turned to follow his gaze.

A single figure, cloaked with what looked like a yellow aura stormed out of the forest and tore towards them with ardour in its stride.

Dynasmon narrowed his eyes at the unknown Digimon and he stepped ahead of the group, summoning Wyvern from his form.

As he did this, the yellow aura from around the incoming figure suddenly expanded, and to the group's surprise, a yellow dragon that looked a lot like Wyvern suddenly burst from his back and hovered in the air above him.

The Digimon extended his arm out sharply, sweeping the hem of the white jacket around his shoulders aside, and pointed accusingly at the Royal Knights. "What the hell is going on here?!" he demanded, marching up to them, unperturbed by their weapons.

Alphamon narrowed his eyes at the humanoid Digimon, momentarily glancing up at the yellow dragon above his body. "Who are you?" he asked, quietly sizing up this Digimon and wondering what business he had here.

KaiserGreymon blinked and stepped forwards. "Gankoomon?" he asked, recognizing the Digimon. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask all of you the same question," Gankoomon responded harshly, a definite scowl on his face as he looked at each and every one of them before eyeing the burnt and damaged World Tree.

"You know this guy, Kaiser?" Dynasmon asked him. As he looked between KaiserGreymon and Gankoomon, Wyvern peered at Hinukamui as he flew above Dynasmon's head. Hinukamui had his eyes locked on Wyvern's three ones. They both stared at each other with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

KaiserGreymon nodded and folded his arms. "I've known Gankoomon for awhile. He's a fellow knight-errant. A real hothead, at that."

"Look who's talking," Gankoomon responded, giving KaiserGreymon a short look through his visor.

"Kaiser, why didn't you tell us you had a hot friend?" AncientMermaidmon asked, giving him a sharp elbow.

"Ow!" the dragon knight exclaimed, shooting a glare at AncientMermaidmon. "Because PileVolcamon and I are rather more attractive than he is, so I didn't think he would be all that impressive."

Gankoomon looked back at the group as a whole. "I'm still waiting for an answer," he said, tapping his foot.

Valdurmon was about to speak up, but Alphamon took a step forwards and spoke instead. "I'm sorry if this comes across as rude, but why are you assuming that we are answerable to you?" Alphamon asked him, rather annoyed at the stance of entitlement that Gankoomon was taking towards them.

Gankoomon glared at Alphamon and stepped up to him, pressing his finger against Alphamon's chest. "Oh, that's right… You're Alphamon. The leader of the Royal Knights, right?" he asked. "I know you guys think you're Yggdrasil's chosen defenders of the Digital World, but don't you usually say something about working with the 'common Digimon'? Or is that just a load of shit like I thought?"

Alphamon stared at him quietly, not backing down in the face of his aggressive manner. "Not at all," he responded calmly. "We care deeply about the Digimon that we're sworn to protect. But I don't like the accusatory tone in which you're speaking to us."

"Can't handle a little constructive criticism?" Gankoomon asked standoffishly. "Want me to kiss your boots instead?"

Dynasmon stepped forwards and glared at him defensively, folding his arms as he stepped up beside Alphamon. "Hey. Do you have some sort of problem with us?" he asked Gankoomon a rivalrous stare.

"I have a problem with people who ignore my questions," Gankoomon retorted, giving Dynasmon a look. "What happened to the World Tree?"

"It was attacked by this guy called DarkKnightmon and his cronies," KaiserGreymon replied. "The Royal Knights stepped in to intervene."

Gankoomon looked the World Tree up and down, inspecting the damage. "And they did a great job, it looks like," he sarcastically stated.

"And where the hell were you during all this?" Dynasmon challenged, pushing Alphamon aside to get into Gankoomon's face.

"Nearly getting fried by one of your stray beams," Gankoomon returned the glare and stepped forwards, pressing his chest against Dynasmon's. As they glared in close proximity, the two dragons above them also growled and leered at one another, protective of their respective partners.

"Seriously. What's your problem with the Royal Knights, Gankoomon?" Dynasmon asked him angrily.

Gankoomon glared at him, annoyed that he casually called him by his name when he didn't even know Dynasmon's. "What's your name, bull-face?"

"Dynasmon."

"Okay, Dynasmon. You wanna know?" Gankoomon asked him. "My problem with you Royal Knights is that you all act so damn high and mighty. You made yourselves the defenders of the continent, but you're all so full of yourselves. You're all lofty, out of touch, and holier-than-thou, sealed up in that giant castle of yours. You don't actually know what it's like, living with regular Digimon. You don't know what they go through. You just see them as things that are lower than you – things that need protecting, things that should be gracious whenever you step in to help for – what reason? – to make yourselves feel good? Or is it noblesse oblige?"

Magnamon frowned at this. "Please don't assume you know what we think," he told them, annoyed at being generalized. "You don't know us at all."

"Yeah, you're one to talk!" Dynasmon countered. "You say that we're arrogant, but what about you?! You act like you know everything about us, and you think you're better than us because you live among regular Digimon or something? None of us were born Royal Knights. I used to be a mercenary too, I'll have you know! I've had to take humiliating jobs just to make ends meet. Just ask KaiserGreymon! But it's not like that makes me better than anybody else here. Show a bit of respect before you open your big mouth and make a bunch of damn assumptions."

"Respect is earned, lizard," Gankoomon replied. "If you were as down to earth as you claim you are, you wouldn't demand respect."

"Oh, just kiss already," RhodoKnightmon muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, let's all calm down here," PileVolcamon told them, raising his hands and placing them on their shoulders.

The two pulled away from each other and folded their arms. "Tch," Gankoomon scoffed. The Digimon then went quiet and thought to himself. "…DarkKnightmon, huh…?" he said, more to himself than to any of them.

"Do you know him?" Alphamon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gankoomon sneered and looked away with a faint grimace. "They passed by me on the way here," he admitted. "I… gave them directions."

"You what?!" Dynasmon exclaimed. "You have the chrome digizoid balls to stand there blaming us when you were the one that lead them here in this first place?!"

"Hey, I didn't know he wanted to attack the place!" the humanoid Digimon responded fierily. "At least I'm admitting I made a mistake."

"So are we," Alphamon assured him, stepping between Dynasmon and Gankoomon. "We weren't able to fully defend the tree, and it's our fault that he came here in the first place."

"And why's that?" the jacket–clad warrior questioned.

"DarkKnightmon was a Royal Knight a long time ago," Magnamon spoke up. "He tried to start a coup d'etat, so we banished him to the Dark Area."

"Only, he recently escaped," Dukemon added. "And now he wants to destroy our Order."

"So, basically, the Royal Knights' problem is now becoming everybody else's problem," Gankoomon reasoned. "D'you know how many Digimon could have been hurt? It looks like a bunch of Digimon _have_ been hurt." He gestured to the wounded defenders of the World Tree, who were being healed by AncientMermaidmon, who took to her MarineAngemon form again when she got bored of them arguing.

"We deeply regret that this happened," Alphamon told him diplomatically.

"That's all fine and great, but what are you gonna do about it?" Gankoomon asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"We're going to stop him. For good, this time," the Lord of the Empty Seat said firmly.

"Are you sure the Royal Knights are up to it? You seem like you've been struggling so far," Gankoomon pointed out. "I mean, look at you guys." He gestured over to RhodoKnightmon. "Pink armour? I ought to give you all a lesson in manhood."

"A lesson in manhood? I wouldn't mind that at all," RhodoKnightmon said suggestively, easily brushing off the insult and smirking at Gankoomon.

Gankoomon's eye twitched and he turned away, scratching the back of his head with embarrassed irritation. Hinukamui couldn't help but grin.

"We're up to it," Alphamon told Gankoomon. "We've taken over DarkKnightmon's base of operations so now he's on the run. He isn't far and we have reinforcements incoming. We'll have the Strike Forces seal him in the Neutral Zone and finish this here."

"A lot of Digimon live in the Neutral Zone," Gankoomon said with a doubtful frown.

"I doubt he'll still be in the zone by the time reinforcements arrive," Dukemon pointed out. "It's already been hours. Wounded or not, he's probably gone, Alphamon."

"Unless he's planning to attack the World Tree again. Either way, he won't have gone far. We'll cast our net of scouts and spies in and around this area," Alphamon explained. "He may have damaged the Tree, but we have the initiative this time."

"That is of little consolation," a voice boomed.

The sky seemed to grow dark as thick, grey clouds gathered overhead. The dim flash of lightning flickered within these dark clouds, and the rumble of thunder echoed through the forest clearing.

KaiserGreymon, PileVolcamon, and Shurimon all glanced over at MarineAngemon to see if she was responsible for the sudden change in weather. "Hey, it's not me," the Warrior of Water said, shrugging.

The Royal Knights, Legendary Warriors, Gankoomon and Valdurmon all looked around the surrounding area and sky, looking past the World Tree's massive trunk and canopies.

The tumultuous, clouds suddenly began to swirl in a counter clockwise orbit. At the very center of this axis, the dark grey clouds lit up luminously and the electrical discharge of lightning began to shoot outwards into the surrounding clouds. From the epicenter of this awesome sight, emerged a giant head. The head was covered by a giant, azure helmet, decorated with jagged, yellow strands, a large, lightning bolt shaped horn, and sharp, pointed frills. Underneath the helmet was a long, flowing, white beard, and four, red eyes that leered down at the group beside the World Tree. The head further extended from the clouds, and a long, incorporeal, serpentine body followed. The snake-like body was like an aura of divine energy, similar in consistency to Wyvern and Hinukamui, but more exalted. Giant chains were wrapped precisely around the dragon's long form, and four clawed legs, as well as eight small wings, extended from the exalted creature's body at various places along the lengthy coils. Hovering around each of his four legs were, what seemed to be, three, pale purple digicores, making a total of twelve.

The Royal Knights watched as the massive dragon emerged from the storm clouds. Alphamon's eyes widened with shock. "It's Qinglongmon…"

"What in Fanglongmon's name happened here?!" a second voice spoke, tearing through the sky.

Pillars and tendrils of orange light pierced through the storm clouds, shining down resplendently. As the light fought its way through, the giant form of a glorious phoenix burst through the clouds. While not nearly as large as Qinglongmon, the phoenix Digimon was still quite big – much bigger than any of the Digimon on the ground. His eight wings flapped powerfully as he flew down as well, his body wreathed in flames that lit up the entire sky. He looked around quickly with his beaked, avian head, which was covered by a long, red, pointed helmet. Over his body, he wore a red, metal cuirass, which had a sort of turbine sticking out from the back. He flicked his almost reptilian tail irritably, the flame-like designs of which making it almost seem like an active fire. His ash-coloured mane fluttered in the breeze, resting just below a ring of six, red, floating digicores, which matched the other six around the end of his tail. His four, red eyes narrowed at the group of Digimon below. The phoenix dove down in a streak of flames, making sure that they died out before getting close to the World Tree.

"Zhuqiaomon," Qinglongmon acknowledged formally, glancing over at the comparatively smaller bird.

"Do you two always have to make such dramatic entrances?" a deep, booming voice rumbled.

"It loses its wonder after the first several times," a second, deep voice added.

The Digimon all turned to the forest behind them. There, they saw one giant tree standing above all but the World Tree. Its canopy shook and shuddered, as the tree appeared to be moving towards them. After a few moments, a large shape could be seen at the tree line. Two, giant, serpentine heads emerged from the forest, out into the light of the clearing. The two heads were connected to long, gold-scaled necks that lead to a single shell. The giant, tortoise-like Digimon nudged his way through the trees and stepped out into the clearing with tremor-inducing steps. Atop his thick shell was a massive tree with a thick trunk, verdant foliage, and sturdy vines. Hovering around the tree's trunk were twelve, yellow digicores. The two serpent heads calmly turned their attention from the two Digimon up in the sky, down to group of Digimon across the clearing.

"You just can't appreciate it, Xuanwumon," Zhuqiaomon argued.

From the western part of the clearing, a fourth and final figure lunged out of the forest. A large white-furred tiger covered in blue stripes landed in the clearing gracefully. The huge feline Digimon narrowed his four, red eyes, covered by a blue helmet, and stalked towards the group. His sharp, black claws nimbly stepped around the clearing's flowers the best that he could. His fore legs had metal shin guards over them, while his hind legs had black, metal cuffs, similar to the spiked one near the end of his tail. Like the others, he also had twelve external digicores – these ones were yellow and they orbited his torso.

"The World Tree…" the fourth Digimon spoke in a low growl.

"Baihumon," Xuanwumon said, looking over with his left head. His right head then spoke. "It looks like we're all here now."

"So, it's time to find out what the hell is going on," Zhuqiaomon said sharply.

"The Four Holy Beasts…" Alphamon said, looking around them.

"Ooh boy. You guys are in for it now," AncientMermaidmon teased, looking over at the Royal Knights.

The Four Holy Beasts grew closer to the group, nearly surrounding them with their massive bodies, dauntingly but not aggressively.

"Step away from the tree!" Zhuqiaomon snapped at Shurimon, who was still doing his best to revitalize the damaged parts of it.

Shurimon let out a cry of surprise and fear, blushing and quickly stepping away. "S-s-s-s-s-sorry! I was just tr-tr-tr-trying t-t-to—"

"I don't care!" the phoenix told him. "Who did this?!"

"Hey!" KaiserGreymon spoke up, marching towards Zhuqiaomon and glaring up at him, not intimidated by his size or his anger. "Don't speak to him like that!"

"Don't _you_ talk to _me_ like that, Warrior of Embers," Zhuqiaomon warned him.

Before KaiserGreymon could fire back, Xuanwumon spoke up. "Settle down, Suzaku," Xuanwumon told the holy phoenix Digimon.

"Don't call me that in front of these Digimon, _Genbu_," Zhuqiaomon heatedly replied to the two-headed tortoise, to which Xuanwumon merely chuckled.

Qinglongmon loomed down towards the Royal Knights, looking at Alphamon in particular. "As long as we're using our informal names now…" he mumbled. The celestial dragon gazed at Alphamon. "What happened here, Alphamon? Why is the World Tree damaged so?"

"It wasn't our fault, if that's what you lot are implying," KaiserGreymon interjected, folding his arms defensively.

"The World Tree was attacked," Alphamon responded. "We did our best to defend it, but…"

"You failed," Baihumon said bluntly, walking over and inspecting the burn marks on the tree.

"Byakko…" Xuanwumon said to him dissuadingly.

Qinglongmon sighed. "This Tree is a treasured site, marking the place where Fanglongmon rests - right beneath these roots. It's his presence that makes this tree grow so high and so vibrantly, although I know the Royal Knights believe that it is Yggdrasil's essence that does so. Although we differ in that regard, this place is still a precious place to us all. How could this have happened? Who would _want_ to do this? An antitheist? An anarchist? Simply a Digimon of chaos with no deeper goal?"

"It was DarkKnightmon, Seiryu," Alphamon calmly said to Qinglongmon. "A former-Royal Knight."

"Him…?" Qinglongmon asked, thinking to himself. "Imperialdramon mentioned him…"

"Imperialdramon?" Magnamon questioned curiously.

"I'll hunt this DarkKnightmon down and burn him to a crisp," Zhuqiaomon seethed, his four eagle eyes squinting hard with rage.

"Don't be hasty, Suzaku," Baihumon said to him.

"We don't know the full story yet," Xuanwumon added.

"What does this DarkKnightmon want?" Qinglongmon asked.

"To bring the Royal Knights down," Dukemon replied. "The World Tree was just collateral damage to him."

"It was an indirect attack on us," Alphamon said with a nod. "We're sorry that the World Tree was involved, but we didn't want this any more than you four did."

"Unacceptable," Baihumon rumbled. "This is your problem, so deal with it. Fast."

"Wrong. This becomes _our_ problem when the World Tree starts becoming a target," Zhuqiaomon replied.

"This is for the Royal Knights to sort out," Qinglongmon said, turning his large head and looking at the phoenix.

"It looks like they're having trouble sorting it out," Zhuqiaomon countered. "I'll get involved if I need to, even if you three are too idle."

"That won't be necessary, Zhuqiaomon," Alphamon insisted. "The Royal Knights will handle it."

"Can you be sure of that?" the vermillion bird asked with narrow eyes. "Look at the World Tree!"

"On my oath, we will finish this once and for all," the Lord of the Empty Seat responded with a resolute stare.

"That's good enough for me," Xuanwumon assured them. His right head turned to gaze at the other three Holy Beasts. "And you three?"

"As long as it's dealt with," Baihumon responded. "Soon."

"We will be watching closely," Qinglongmon said with a nod.

"Tch," Zhuqiaomon scoffed, turning his head away. The two eyes on the near side of his face looked at the Royal Knights hostilely. "Me especially."

He flapped his wings vigorously and began to turn away. "I'm going to speak with my Devas. Seiryu, Genbu, Byakko? We'll meet again." He looked behind him at the Royal Knights a final time. "If you guys don't stop this DarkKnightmon fellow, I will."

With that, Zhuqiaomon burst upwards into the sky, streaking through the clouds with a blaze of orange.

The ensuing silence was broken by Xuanwumon's chuckle, which caused the ground to rumble. "Excuse him. He's always been impetuous and hotheaded," his left head spoke.

"And full of hot air," the right head added.

"I can understand his frustration," Alphamon replied tactfully.

"We're just as angry about this," Dukemon agreed, frowning noticeably.

Xuanwumon grinned and looked at the two Royal Knights. "Will you turn those emotions into action?" one head asked.

"And would it be wise to do so?" the other head mused. "What would be a more effective course? To rush into action, filled with – and perhaps blinded by – emotion? Or to sit back and do nothing with a clear head and a sound heart?"

"Another one of your riddles, Genbu?" Baihumon asked Xuanwumon.

"Merely something to meditate on," Xuanwumon replied with a wink. He backed up and began to turn around, slowly making to head back into the forest. "Best of luck to you, Royal Knights. We will leave the action to you for now."

"Try to settle this problem, please," Baihumon added, going and walking alongside Xuanwumon. "We have things that we need to do. I don't want to see the World Tree in danger."

"Which reminds me," Qinglongmon said, closing his eyes. "Can you continue with the tree, Shurimon?"

Shurimon suddenly stood at attention, flushing. "Um. Y-Yes. Of course!" he replied, swiftly jumping over to the World Tree and beginning to rejuvenate it again.

"And also… I believe your friends have arrived," the dragon observed.

The Royal Knights turned around and Xuanwumon and Baihumon stopped and glanced over. UlforceVeedramon, Duftmon, Craniamon, Sleipmon, and Examon emerged from the forest quickly.

"So, there's the rest of them," Gankoomon mumbled, watching them approach with folded arms.

The other half of the Royal Knights immediately noticed three of the Four Holy Beasts in the clearing. They reacted with varying levels of shock and surprise.

"Qinglongmon! Baihumon! Xuanwumon!" UlforceVeedramon exclaimed, zooming through the sky and stopping in front of them to bow.

"The Four Holy Beasts…" Craniamon mumbled, looking around at them.

Duftmon rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous. What fool would bow to these—Mmm!?"

Sleipmon placed his hand over Duftmon's mouth. "Don't insult the super-powerful, giant Digimon, Duftmon…" he advised him.

Examon flew over and bowed as well. "Qinglongmon…"

"Examon," Qinglongmon replied. "Majiramon did tell me that you joined the Royal Knights."

Examon replied with a nod.

Craniamon stopped in his tracks, his attention no longer on the Holy Beasts. "The World Tree…" he spoke, noticing the damage done to the World Tree

Duftmon slipped out of Sleipmon's grasp. "What happened to it?!" he demanded, rushing over to the Royal Knights. "How could you let it get in this state?!"

"We will be leaving now," Qinglongmon said, curving through the air and flying towards the sky. "I would rather not get involved, but if the World Tree becomes endangered beyond your control…"

"Leave it with us," Alphamon told him.

Qinglongmon nodded and flew upwards, disappearing into the electrified clouds. It wasn't long until Baihumon and Xuanwumon were gone as well.

"Those four are even worse than these guys," Gankoomon said to himself.

"What did they want?" Craniamon asked.

"Well it wasn't to pat us on the back for a job well done," Dukemon replied sarcastically.

"Can't exactly blame them," Magnamon countered. "This is a really important place to the Four Holy Beasts."

"Anyways. We'll be off too," KaiserGreymon announced. He stepped away from the World Tree and evolved to his AncientGreymon form. The dragon landed on the ground with a thud. "You will contact us if you need our help, won't you?"

Alphamon nodded. "If we need your help," he assured him.

"Don't be too proud to ask," AncientGreymon replied as PileVolcamon and AncientMermaidmon climbed on his back. He turned and looked to Shurimon, who still used his plant powers to nurture the tree. It was taking a long time due to the sheer size of the tree. "Will you catch up with us, Shuri?"

Shurimon nodded. "I w-won't be too long," he answered.

AncientGreymon nodded and then looked at the Royal Knights. "Good luck, then. Stay safe and kick ass."

As the dragon of flames flew off, the newly arrived knights walked over to meet with the others.

"This was DarkKnightmon's doing?" Craniamon asked, walking over to the group with a frown.

"Yeah," Dynasmon answered bitterly.

"And you didn't stop him?!" Duftmon replied accusingly, turning his glare from the World Tree to Alphamon. "This is… a humiliation to the Order! We are sworn to uphold Yggdrasil's majesty but you couldn't even protect the World Tree!"

"We did what we were able to," Alphamon responded calmly.

"Yeah," Dukemon said, stepping forwards. "Besides, it was _your_ idea to split us into two groups, Duftmon. If we had all been here, then we would have been able to protect the World Tree and defeat them."

Duftmon blinked. "That…" He sneered with anger. "And what if it had been a feint?!" he countered defensively. "Then he could have overrun the castle! My decision was strategically sound!"

"You still sent us here with less numbers than we needed, so get off our asses about it," Dynasmon said sharply.

"Perhaps if you all had been more effective in combat-" he began to argue.

"Enough!" Alphamon exclaimed firmly. "What's done is done. There's no point in going over what happened repeatedly, nor is there any use in arguing in public."

"Don't mind me," Gankoomon spoke up with a grin. "I think it's kind of funny."

Duftmon frowned and stepped up to Gankoomon, looking at him with a scrutinizing glare. "And who might _you_ be?"

"The name's Gankoomon. And you are…?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Duftmon of the Royal Knights. What are you doing here? This doesn't concern you," he told him.

"It does now," Gankoomon replied.

"Pardon me?" Duftmon incredulously inquired.

"What?" Dynasmon asked as well.

"I'm going to make sure that you knights really do take that DarkKnightmon guy down," Gankoomon insisted.

"What?! The gall! Do you honestly think that _you_ have the capabilities to fight alongside _us_?!" Duftmon heatedly asked.

Gankoomon smirked confidently. "I'll just have to prove it to you, I guess. Oh, and I'm not going to take no for an answer, so you'll just have to lump it. Somebody has to make sure you don't cock it up again."

Alphamon closed his eyes. "…Very well," he replied. "But I expect you to adhere to whatever tactics that we develop. I can't just have an unknown quantity going around and bringing chaos to the flow of battle. It's too dangerous."

"Fine," Gankoomon conceded with a wave of the hand. "But only if they're good tactics."

Duftmon glared at him in response to the challenge to his planning abilities.

"First, you're complaining about us, now you want to fight with us," Dynasmon muttered, his voice dripping with irony.

"Hey, you told me not to judge you guys until I got to know you, so this will be my chance to get to know you," Gankoomon retorted with a grin. "You'd be surprised how much you can learn about somebody when you fight with them."

"I suspect that we will learn that you're boorish, unrefined, and haughty," Duftmon muttered.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do," Dukemon assured the red-haired fighter. "Just don't underestimate our opponents."

"I don't plan to," Gankoomon responded. He began to stride away, through the flower-filled clearing.

"Where are you going?" Sleipmon asked, watching him as he walked.

"There are some things I need to take care of," he answered with a casual shrug. "Don't worry; I'll be back."

"Don't feel obligated…" Duftmon mumbled.

They watched as Gankoomon walked across the clearing. The knight-errant glanced over his shoulder at them before disappearing back into the forest.

"He seems nice enough," Sleipmon remarked.

"You weren't here earlier," Dynasmon said with a half grin.

"He's… an interesting one," Alphamon remarked, glancing in the direction that Gankoomon left. "Outspoken, but he has a good heart."

"D'you think?" Dukemon asked him.

Alphamon nodded. "He may be brash in every sense of the word, but he was always concerned about other Digimon. I noticed that."

"So, another Dukemon," Craniamon suggested.

"Wonderful. One is already more than enough," Duftmon added.

Dukemon scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I'm right here, you know."

"I think he wants to help us, in a proud, indirect kind of way," Magnamon pointed out with a frown. "Speaking of help, Shurimon's done a great job on the World Tree."

The Royal Knights turned and looked over at the tree. The bark and the outer layers of wood on the World Tree had been restored, as had many of the branches that hadn't been burned beyond reason. However, there was still a moderately deep crater in the near side of the tree that had taken the brunt of the attacks. While Shurimon did what he could to fix that gaping wound, restoring it entirely was just too technically difficult and required too much energy for Shurimon to fix it. The best he could do was restore some of the indentation and tidy up the rest.

"It doesn't matter. The damage to the tree is already done. Word is likely to get out," Duftmon spoke.

"Then we need to make up for it," Dukemon announced. "By stopping DarkKnightmon. It will take more than this to defeat us."

Alphamon and the other Royal Knights nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Shurimon walked over uncertainly, wiping the sweat from his brow. Instead of addressing the entire group, he walked over to Dynasmon. "Um…"

Dynasmon turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Shuri?" he asked him.

"I've done what I could. I'm sorry that I c-c-can't do any more, but I'm running out of energy and that impact crater on the south west face of the trunk…" Shurimon trailed off. "I think that will have to repair naturally. It's beyond my powers as the Warrior of Wood."

"You did great," Dynasmon told him. "Thanks a lot for the help."

"Yes," Valdurmon added, looking the tree over. "It looks much better now."

"D-D-Don't mention it. I should go now," he responded with a blush and a nod. Shurimon turned around and lunged into the air with the use of his spring-like legs. He landed amongst the flowers and, in the next bound, already made it to the tree line. In the next second, he disappeared amongst the forest's canopies.

"…Okay, bye," UlforceVeedramon called out with an ironic wave at the ninja's quick exit.

The Royal Knights turned to each other, moving onto the next order of business.

"What's the plan now?" Sleipmon asked.

"We should secure the perimeter of the World Tree," Alphamon said. "Once Grani and OuRyuumon arrive with the Strike Forces, we'll fan out in formation and cover the Neutral Zone."

"You called for the Strike Forces?" Duftmon asked, arching his eyebrow sceptically. "Is that not a bit premature? There haven't been traces of his army, has there?"

"I know DarkKnightmon," Alphamon assured the tactician. "He likes to keep the pressure on and escalate it so that his opponents don't have time to recover. He's attacked the World Tree; he's in the end stages of his plan. If we don't end this soon, _he_ will. We can't allow him to take the initiative anymore; it's too dangerous. We need to find him."

"Do you think he'll destroy the World Tree?" Magnamon asked. "He's shrewd; he'll know we'll be here."

"He's practical, but he can also be daring when it suits him. He'll have a ploy of some kind. And it would have to be effective. That's what worries me," Alphamon responded. "That's why we have to search him out before he can bring the battle to us."

"That won't be easy, though," Examon pointed out.

Duftmon nodded. "He's using guerilla tactics. He's stealthy, and he's been remarkably effective in evading our scouts and spies."

"He's been fairly lucky so far," Dukemon spoke up. "But we have the best recon around. He can't avoid us for long."

"He only needs to avoid us for long enough to do what he's going to do," Craniamon replied.

"Craniamon's right," Alphamon said. "Speed will determine the outcome. Fortunately, we managed to inflict some heavy damage on him during the last skirmish, so that might have bought us some time." The knight then winced at his words. "That sounds awful, doesn't it?"

"He's the enemy," Duftmon said. "We cannot be soft on him, whatever sentimentality some of you might have."

"I'm well aware," Alphamon answered, closing his eyes. "From now on, we can't fight them half-heartedly. They will only take advantage of our kindness and use it against us." The black knight turned and gestured to the World Tree. "As you all can see, the stakes are too high."

Dukemon turned and looked at Examon. The crimson dragon glanced up and caught Dukemon's gaze. Examon eyed him before turning his head and looking away uncomfortably.

Dukemon knew why. Examon was thinking about Dorbickmon, and whether or not he got through to him. It would be hard for them to speak again in the middle of a battlefield, and Dukemon doubted very much that Examon wanted to fight him. On top of that, as Alphamon had said, the stakes were high. Simply talking might prove to be fatal now.

"Anyways," Duftmon spoke. "Those mercenaries might be easier to hunt for than DarkKnightmon. Intelligence suggests that, generally-speaking, they're either small mercenary groups or tearaway factions from larger mercenary teams, but they should still be easier to spot. If he is mounting a final strike like you suggest, Alphamon, then they should be relatively close by."

Alphamon nodded. "We'll begin our search once reinforcements arrive. For now, we'll secure the perimeter from both ground and air."

"Didn't you guys just fight with them a few hours ago?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

"AncientMermaidmon healed us," Dynasmon responded. "We weren't that badly off in the first place."

"Maybe it's a sign that the tide is turning in our favour?" Sleipmon suggested, trying to be optimistic.

"If we are going to talk about the baseless theories known as 'signs', then the burning of the World Tree certainly wouldn't be a favourable one," Duftmon countered.

UlforceVeedramon rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Duftmon. You certainly know how to inspire confidence," he sarcastically said. "Should we get to work now?"

The rest of the Royal Knights nodded and the group promptly went to work on their preparations. Magnamon and Dukemon walked over to Alphamon as the Royal Knights split off to encircle the area. The three walked away from the other Royal Knights.

"Hey, Alphamon," Dukemon said to him.

"Yes?" the Aloof Hermit asked, looking at the two of them.

"Do you think we should tell Imperialdramon Paladin Mode about all this?" Magnamon asked, striding beside their leader. "About DarkKnightmon, I mean."

"He _was_ the one who sealed him away before," Dukemon agreed.

"We should, but it isn't that simple," Alphamon responded. "He's off doing… whatever it is that he does. To this day, I'm not entirely sure what that is, and whenever I ask him, he's always infuriatingly coy and evasive about it."

"Ah, yeah. I can imagine his grin now," the crimson knight muttered with a dry expression.

"Yes. And the last we have seen of him was several months ago, back before Examon was inducted as a Knight," Alphamon added. "I wouldn't know where to start looking, and I can't ask Grani to search for him when his skills are needed now."

"I'm sure that he'll hear that the World Tree was attacked, somehow," Magnamon reasoned. "Perhaps he'll search us out."

"Maybe… I won't deny that I want to talk to him about all of this," Alphamon said with a bit of weight in his words. "I'm so used to bouncing ideas off of Omegamon. I'm at a bit of a loss now that…" He trailed off.

"We're here if you need us," Magnamon assured him.

Dukemon nodded. "And we'll need you to talk Omegamon back around. It looked like something you said got through to him today. There's still hope, you know."

Alphamon smiled a bit. "I'd like to think so."

"There always is," Magnamon spoke. "We've gotten through worse than this." With those words, he nodded at them and took to the air, flying up and veering northwards.

Dukemon gave Alphamon's shoulder a pat and broke off in another direction as well, heading towards the forest.

Alphamon watched as the two departed. When they were gone, he turned and walked up to the World Tree, placing his hand on a portion of the freshly restored bark. He closed his eyes and thought quietly to himself.

"_Has it really come to this, DarkKnightmon? …Have we really drifted so far in opposite directions?_"

He opened his eyes and allowed his palm to slide from the rough exterior of the tree. Alphamon turned around and began to walk away from the massive tree.

"_I will stop you… for Omegamon's sake. And for everyone else's as well._"

* * *

><p>A warm breeze blew through the mouth of a cave with an eerie whistle. The cave was shallow and embedded in the side of a tall cliff. Following the wind into the cave were four figures, staggering along.<p>

Dorbickmon walked in first, growling to himself. There were flames on his breath, which lit up the cave as they entered.

Behind him were MirageGaogamon and DarkKnightmon. MirageGaogamon helped DarkKnightmon walk into the cave, holding the knight's arm around his shoulders. DarkKnightmon's armour was fractured and mangled in places. A few of the wide, gaping cracks in the metal dripped out blood, most of which had dried on the armour.

Following behind them was Omegamon Zwart, who had been even more quiet than usual during their swift escape.

"Damnit," Dorbickmon grunted with narrow eyes. "I didn't think they'd show up that quickly. They repelled us."

"It's… fine," DarkKnightmon responded between grunts of pain from the vicious attack that Alphamon had delivered on him. "I can work – ngh – with this turn of events…"

"You should sit down, Sir. You're badly hurt," MirageGaogamon said to him, trying to gently sit him down against the cold cave wall. "Let me remove this armour so that I can dress your wounds."

DarkKnightmon nodded weakly and allowed MirageGaogamon to start removing his chest armour. The heavy plate was pulled off his form, revealing bloody, but largely shallow, gash marks on his chest.

"We can't stay here for long," Dorbickmon told them with urgency. "Once the scouts arrive, it won't be long 'til they find this place. It's a pretty obvious hideaway."

"If DarkKnightmon keeps losing blood, he'll pass out," MirageGaogamon barked at him with an annoyed glare.

"And if the Royal Knights catch up with us, we're screwed," Dorbickmon countered. "We can't fight them with these injuries."

"We won't stay for long," DarkKnightmon assured him, wincing and tensing up when MirageGaogamon began putting pressure on a slash mark across his pectoral muscle. "My data isn't going anywhere; just apply a few bandages and I can tough it out until we reach our allies. There, we can receive shelter and healing."

"Fine by me," Dorbickmon replied with a grunt, leaning against the wall and folding his arms, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his form.

Omegamon Zwart walked over to DarkKnightmon and bowed his head with what seemed to be shame or, at least, uncertainty.

DarkKnightmon looked up at Omegamon Zwart. "Omegamon Zwart…" he spoke, making sure to include the second word.

"I am sorry, DarkKnightmon…" Omegamon Zwart said with a faint grimace. He replayed the event over and over in his mind. He was in front of the World Tree, his cannon was pointed straight at it. He had the opportunity, but then Alphamon tried to stop him. He didn't take the shot. He wasn't sure why, and it frustrated him. He felt… uneasy.

"What happened back there?" DarkKnightmon asked, not with anger, but with a calm, understanding voice.

"He choked, is what it looks like," Dorbickmon spoke up.

For once, MirageGaogamon agreed with Dorbickmon. He didn't trust Omegamon Zwart; he was too much of an unknown quantity, having been forced to their side instead of joining them willingly. However, DarkKnightmon was invested in having Omegamon as an ally, so MirageGaogamon kept quiet and allowed Dorbickmon to be the voice that spoke out against him.

"I… don't know," the black Omegamon responded, removing his Garuru Cannon in order raise his hand up to his face and rub it. "I tried to fire… I _wanted_ to fire…" He looked down at the Garuru Cannon, which was tucked under his arm. "It was as if there was something stopping me… from inside…"

DarkKnightmon looked at Omegamon Zwart silently, as if attempting to see into his heart and soul. Quietly, he thought to himself before closing his eyes and tensing up as pain shot through him. "I… see…" he spoke. "Don't worry, Omegamon. It's only natural for you to retain some misgivings about attacking the World Tree, after so many years of being beholden to it. What's important is that you still have the resolve to fight _the Royal Knights_. Those who wronged you and took advantage of you. Are you still resolved to exact your justice upon them?"

Omegamon Zwart's gaze hardened with determination as his words. "…Yes." He closed his fist tightly and his crimson eyes burned with restrained anger and resolve.

"So, I can count on you?" DarkKnightmon asked him. "I like to think that I can trust you, Omegamon Zwart."

"_Trust_…" he thought to himself before replying. "Yes. I will bring them down for you." He rose his head up and looked down at DarkKnightmon with a stern stare. "I won't fail you again. Whatever happened before… it will no longer be an issue."

DarkKnightmon nodded at him gratefully. "I believe you."

Dorbickmon glanced at them out of the corners of his eyes. "So, what's our next move?" he asked. "They're going to start building up defences around the tree, so…?"

"We will go to our mercenary allies and stay out of sight for a few days. This will allow us to recover and prepare… and hopefully it will be enough time for the Royal Knights to slacken their defence around the World Tree," DarkKnightmon explained, wincing as he lifted himself into a slightly more comfortable sitting position.

"'Hopefully'," Dorbickmon muttered pessimistically. "I don't think they're going to just put some guards on night watch around the tree after what we just did. The World Tree's massively important; they'll probably have whole battle groups around it."

"They will also want to search for us, however. I'm sure that they will want to catch us while we are busy licking our wounds, so to say," DarkKnightmon responded. "If they want to do that, they will have to split their forces. With luck, only a manageable chunk of their forces will be left guarding the tree."

"Licking our wounds, huh?" Dorbickmon asked, unable to help but glance at MirageGaogamon with a shit-eating grin as the canine warrior continued to bandage DarkKnightmon.

MirageGaogamon caught his expression and responded with a bitter, insulted glare.

Dorbickmon shrugged it off carelessly. "So, we're going back to the World Tree?" he mused. "To finish it off?"

"As much as possible…" DarkKnightmon replied. "That would be a crippling blow to the Royal Knights' credibility. Although, that is secondary to my main goal."

Omegamon Zwart looked at him with a stern, curious stare. "Which is…?"

There was a sparkle in DarkKnightmon's eye as he turned his head towards his fellow black knight. "Imperialdramon Paladin Mode…"

Omegamon Zwart's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. "Imperialdramon?" he inquired.

"The founder of the Royal Knights?" MirageGaogamon asked with shock.

"Yes…" DarkKnightmon spoke, his voice as calm as ever. "We will find him and I will take him down personally. When I defeat him, we will bring him to the World Tree and finish them both off at once. When we do that, we will destroy the very foundations of the Order in one fell swoop, and everything will come crashing down around Alphamon and his knights." He closed his fist tightly, his eyes gleaming from the light that poured in from the mouth of the cave. "The Royal Knights will be destroyed at their cores. Their spirits will be crushed and they will submit to my will… And if, even after all that, they still stubbornly resist us, then we will simply destroy them in body as well as soul."

"…Yes, sir," MirageGaogamon replied, no longer allowing himself to listen to his misgivings, instead placing his full faith in DarkKnightmon.

Omegamon Zwart closed his eyes and nodded silently.

Dorbickmon narrowed his eyes and glanced away, looking outside of the cave. "Sure…"

"We have reached the end phase of the plan," DarkKnightmon spoke, a hint of passion behind his unflappable tone. "We simply have to act intelligently and our goals will be achieved. With victory at our finger tips, we must strike like a lightning bolt, swiftly tearing through whatever stands in our way." He planted the Twin Spear into the ground and pushed himself to his feet, despite the fact that MirageGaogamon was finishing up the bandages. A rogue drop of blood slipped from his shoulder and splashed down on his palm as he stood up.

DarkKnightmon walked past the three and stopped at the mouth of the cave, gazing out into the forest. "Whatever it takes… I will fix this world…"

"_My_ Digital World."


	38. Chapter 27: Initialize

(Author's Notes: Just a few more chapters to go... Enjoy!)

**Chapter 27: Initialize**

A day had passed since the attack on the World Tree. The Royal Knights' reinforcements had arrived and they had taken over the Neutral Zone for the time being. The Strike Forces, scouts, and spies were scouring the Neutral Zone and the areas outside of it. As a result, DarkKnightmon and his allies had to remain clandestine. They had to both evade their pursuers and search for Imperialdramon Paladin Mode at the same time. It was a difficult balancing act.

They stood beneath the thick canopies of three trees, the branches concealing them from above and casting a large shadow over the ground. The large, flat, blue leaves shuddered in the wind as they stood against the dark grey sky.

Dorbickmon released a tied up Butterflymon from his grasp and allowed his short, golden form to crash unceremoniously to the ground. The insect Digimon's short arms and flat, white and blue wings were bound together by ropes. He fell on his back with a wince and looked up at his captors with defiant eyes.

Standing before him was SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon, who looked at him with contrasting degrees of intimidation. Dorbickmon walked away from the group and leaned against one of the trees, folding his arms and watching the scene from a short distance. MirageGaogamon stood on one of the higher tree branches, standing on look out and watching the skies for more scouts or soldiers. Omegamon Zwart did the same from the ground, further in the forest.

"So…" SkullKnightmon began, his voice unthreatening even as he approached the Butterflymon's bound body. "You are part of the Royal Knights' Reconnaissance Squadron, I take it…"

The Butterflymon glared at him and looked away with an angry scoff, making his feelings clear.

"Hey now," DeadlyAxemon said with a grin, prodding the scout's carapace with his bladed food. "It's rude not to talk when in a conversation. You might make me mad."

"Don't be like that, DeadlyAxemon," SkullKnightmon told him, looking at the Butterflymon. "It's entirely understandable why he isn't happy about this."

"You're DarkKnightmon," Butterflymon said, glaring at SkullKnightmon.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" DeadlyAxemon spoke up, nudging him a little harder this time. "It takes more than one to digixros."

"DeadlyAxemon," SkullKnightmon chastised, extended his spear arm and placing it between DeadlyAxemon and their prisoner. "Yes, I am. However, I don't wish to hurt you."

"If you're planning to use me as leverage, it's not going to work," he told them with an angry leer.

"I simply want to ask you something. As soon as you tell us, we'll leave you in peace," SkullKnightmon assured him.

"And if you don't, we'll leave you in pieces," DeadlyAxemon warned him.

"Ignore my foul-tempered friend," the short knight spoke. "I won't let anything like that happen. Trust me…"

"Like Alphamon trusted you?" Butterflymon asked him bitterly. SkullKnightmon just stared at him patiently. The bug frowned. "So, what's the question?"

"Where is Imperialdramon Paladin Mode?"

Butterflymon looked up at his captor with surprise. "Imperialdramon Paladin Mode…?" he asked. He then glared. "I have no idea."

"You better remember. Fast," DeadlyAxemon warned him.

Butterflymon grimaced. "I. Don't. Know."

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" SkullKnightmon pressed.

"If you honestly think I'd tell you anything, you must be crazy!" Butterflymon exclaimed. "I won't betray the Royal Knights!"

"Wrong answer," DeadlyAxemon spoke, opening his mouth up to reveal the light of an aqueous solution building up inside his jagged maw.

Butterflymon tensed up with fear. Sweat trickled down his exoskeleton and he looked at SkullKnightmon worriedly. "I'm just a scout!" he told with quickly. "I don't have access to that kind of information! I barely know anything about Imperialdramon Paladin Mode!"

"Then what do you know?" SkullKnightmon asked calmly. "Tell me and we'll let you go."

Butterflymon stalled. He wondered if he had any other alternative. He didn't even really know all that much, so he wondered if there would be any point. However, DeadlyAxemon then crawled on top of his tied up form and got face to face with the insect Digimon, his mouth now brimming with an attack. "Spill or I will."

Butterflymon shut his eyes tightly. "I-I think I saw him once! But I don't even know if it was him!" he insisted desperately.

"Where?" SkullKnightmon asked.

"I was on patrol out west when I thought I saw him talking to Sinduramon! The Rooster Deva – Baihumon's servant, I think! L-Like I said, I'm not positive it was him, though! And it was a month ago!"

"Is that everything?" the short knight asked, his eyes leering at the scout from behind his visor.

"Yes! Honest!" Butterflymon shouted, leaning his head back, fearing DeadlyAxemon's impending attack.

DeadlyAxemon looked over his shoulder at SkullKnightmon, who nodded. He jumped off of the bug Digimon and circled around back to his brother in arms at a wide angle. The scout breathed a sigh of relief.

SkullKnightmon turned his back to them and frowned. "_Why would he speak to Sinduramon…?_" he wondered pensively. "_Was he requesting an audience with Baihumon? Or perhaps the Four Holy Beasts as a whole? …It would make sense. While Imperialdramon seemed happy in taking a passive role while Alphamon lead the Royal Knights, I can't imagine that he would just retire and live as a hermit. No, I know Imperialdramon. He would need to be involved with world affairs somehow." _

SkullKnightmon continued deliberating with himself, piecing together the bits of information that he had. "_I wonder if he holds council with the Four Holy Beasts… and perhaps other deific or leader figures throughout the Digital World. Perhaps he is more involved in the Royal Knights' affairs than we give him credit for… though Alphamon has been an able diplomat in his own right…"_ he mused. He looked up the trunk of the tree in front of him, his eyes resting on the swaying branches of blue leaves. "_If my theory is correct, then certainly Imperialdramon would be talking with the Four Holy Beasts about our attack on the World Tree, perhaps to smooth things over… No, I'm certain he would step in. And that will be my chance. All we need is the location._"

The knight spun around on his heel and looked at DeadlyAxemon, who returned the gaze. "DigiXros!" With that, the two Digimon became engulfed in a bright, grey-tinged light as their forms fused into one another's. DarkKnightmon became whole once again.

Butterflymon looked up with trepidation at the menace that the Order had feared so much recently.

"What's the plan?" Dorbickmon asked, looking over at DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon glanced at the Butterflymon scout and made sure that he was out of earshot before replying. "We will meet up with our mercenaries again. I have a job for them," he replied.

"What's that?" Dorbickmon asked him, arching his eyebrow.

"I need them to locate and bring me Sinduramon," DarkKnightmon plainly answered.

"That could take some time," Dorbickmon reminded him. "And time isn't something that we have much of."

"It will be fine," DarkKnightmon insisted. "We can evade them for another day or so. I will emphasize that they search quickly. It shouldn't be too hard, really; the Valancers have a good information network, and Sinduramon is a loud, boisterous, magnet for attention, from what I remember of him."

"And you think Sinduramon will know where Imperialdramon Paladin Mode is?" the crimson mercenary asked.

"I think so… I won't say that I'm certain, but we don't have the luxury of certainties, at the moment," DarkKnightmon responded. "We need to take whatever information we can get, and do our best to make sure that we can tip the scales in our favour. Normally, I won't take risks if I can help it, but at the same time, they are often decisive moments."

"Sure," Dorbickmon muttered. "Well, it's your call, boss."

DarkKnightmon nodded. "Let's retrieve the others and get out of here," he told him.

"Hey! What about me?!" Butterflymon asked, struggling on the ground.

DarkKnightmon glanced over at their prisoner. The very look from the knight's standard, unreadable, gold eyes caused him to immediately regret his words. However, DarkKnightmon merely turned his back to him. "Don't worry. One of your fellow scouts will find you sooner or later," he told him, beginning to walk away along with Dorbickmon.

Butterflymon winced and continued struggling. "Hey!" he called out. "Let me go!"

"You'll be fine," Dorbickmon insisted with an offhanded wave, not bothering to look over his shoulder as he spoke.

With that, DarkKnightmon and Dorbickmon walked away to collect the others and move out. And then they would begin the next stage of their plan.

* * *

><p>The patter and rumble of footsteps, the deep flapping of wings, the rattling of armour, the shouts from one group to another… The World Tree was bustling. What was once a sacred spot of wonder, peace, and introspection, was now a military staging ground for the Royal Knights.<p>

"Aerial Guards, Second Wing! Spread out above the tree line!"

"Third Scout Wing, move north in a Victory formation."

"First Strike Group, fan out around the east face of the tree! Seventh Strike Group, take over the Fifth's patrol to the north west!"

Alphamon watched as the Royal Knights and the Captains called out orders to their troops. A defensive perimeter was set up around the World Tree to protect it from a counterattack. However, it wasn't nearly as thick as it was when the two waves of reinforcements first arrived. As more time passed, emphasis was moving from the defence of the World Tree over to scouting and patrolling, in the hopes of finding DarkKnightmon and his allies. As much as they didn't want the World Tree to be attacked again, they also didn't want to lose DarkKnightmon and allow him to recover enough to launch another offensive elsewhere, so the search effort was increasingly ardent and energetic.

"Rhinomon! Move over there! You're too exposed," Dukemon told a gold armoured rhinoceros Digimon, pointing off to the side. The crimson knight then turned around and walked over to Alphamon.

"Dukemon?" Alphamon asked. "Has Grani reported any findings from his scouts?"

"He and a team are following up a lead over to the west," Dukemon replied. "Also, one scout who was supposed to be back awhile ago hasn't returned yet, so they're investigating that too."

Alphamon turned and looked at his friend directly. "Who was this?"

"Butterflymon," Dukemon replied.

"He was patrolling to the southwest, wasn't he?" Alphamon asked.

"Yeah… Do you want to check it out?" the red knight questioned. "The other Knights are out patrolling, and Duftmon can probably handle things here."

Alphamon nodded. "Yes… I think I do. I'm feeling a bit edgy with all this waiting. It would be good to put my mind to something else," he answered. "Plus, I would feel better knowing that Butterflymon is safe. He's usually very diligent."

"I'll come with you," Dukemon said with a slight grin. "Unless you think I'll cramp your style."

Alphamon managed a smirk. "You? Of course not. Go ahead," he replied, beginning to walk across the colourful, flowery field, through the crowds of Digimon. "Duftmon!" he hailed.

Duftmon, who was busy talking to OuRyuumon and Knightmon, looked over. "Yes? What is it?" he wondered.

"Dukemon and I are going to investigate something. Can you manage here for several hours?" Alphamon asked.

"Of course," Duftmon assured him before turning back to the Captains. OuRyuumon cast a glance over at Alphamon but soon turned back to Duftmon, listening to his tactical opinion.

Alphamon gave him a slight nod before looking forwards and heading to the edge of the clearing with Dukemon. The two knights stepped into the forest, leaving their forces to continue their defence of the World Tree.

* * *

><p>Evening set across the continent and it was nearing on night. The sun was setting and there was an orange-pink hue over a fifth of the sky. The rest of it was a dark blue colour, which got deeper and darker as it went east. A night breeze drifted through the wide streets of a small town. From the town, the World Tree could still be seen, towering into the sky like a great, natural pillar.<p>

The light of lanterns could be seen flickering inside the stained windows of a large pub. As the town was generally for larger Digimon, the buildings were designed accordingly. There were voices and raucous banter coming from inside. However, the tavern was officially closed to 'VIPs only'. It had been for the past few days, much to the annoyance of some of the locals.

Inside the pub was the Valancer mercenary company, who had bribed the owner and the proprietor of the pub into letting them stay there and keeping silent about the arrangement. The Valancers sat in the pub, talking and drinking as they waited. Off at a side table reserved for smaller patrons sat DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon, Dorbickmon, Omegamon Zwart, and Vikemon, the Valancer's leader.

The Vikemon knocked back a pint of ale and released a relieved sigh. "So…" He looked at his employers.

"How long do you suspect it will take?" DarkKnightmon asked him. "I am rather in a hurry."

"The chicken's in the next town over," Vikemon explained. "He arrived recently and it didn't take him long to make himself known. Apparently he instigated a huge bar fight." The white, furry mercenary leader laughed. "As for how long, well, that depends on how well he stands up against a team of twenty."

DarkKnightmon frowned.

"You look like you want to go yourself, Sir," MirageGaogamon observed after a sip of his water.

"The Valancers can handle it," Vikemon assured him, glugging down a gulp of beer. "You didn't hire us for nothing. Besides, you guys have been doing so much that we've been getting fidgety."

"Don't worry. There will be plenty for you all to do tomorrow," DarkKnightmon replied. He closed his eyes. "Also, I know. It is just that these next few steps are the pivotal moments. Everything hinges on finding and taking down Imperialdramon quickly."

"From what I've heard, Sinduramon has the biggest mouth of all the Devas, so I doubt it'll be too hard to get what you want out of him," Vikemon explained.

"As long as your mercenaries don't cock up capturing him," MirageGaogamon said to the mammalian mercenary with a pointed leer.

Dorbickmon gave a short chuckle. "'Cock'. Was that a joke, MirageGaogamon?"

"No."

The dragon rolled his eyes. "Of course not…"

A fierce knocking suddenly sounded out from the front door of the tavern. It was done in a deliberate pattern as a signal to the Valancers.

Vikemon stood up and turned towards the door. "They're back. Let them in."

One of the mercenaries went and opened the giant door. DarkKnightmon watched with anticipation… The door swung open and several figures poured in. Although initially alerted at the speed at which they entered, everyone relaxed upon seeing that it was the Valancer team that had left a few hours ago. A few mercenaries walked in first, followed by a Knightmon and a Cyberdramon.

Both mercenaries walked side by side. In their arms, they each clutched a wing with a tight, vice-like grip. Between them was a dangling body encased in spherical, violet armour, which appeared to be cracked in several places. From the top of the armour was the yellow head of a rooster whose eyes matched the red of his cockscomb, as well as the blood that trickled down his head. His eyes darted around the bar with agitation and he kept his beak tensed. From the lower ports of his armour were two, yellowed, avian legs with sharp talons. To keep him from thrashing the talons at the mercenaries, his legs had been tied together with the red kerchief that was normally tied around his neck. Just behind them was a long, vibrant, rainbow-coloured tail that dragged along the floor limply.

A Mistymon walked in behind him, carrying a giant, golden, double-headed club, officially known as a 'Treasure Pestle' or Bao Chu, which belonged to Sinduramon.

"Great! You got him!" Vikemon announced, grinning and stalking over. "Way t- wait a second." He suddenly frowned when he noticed only two more mercenaries walk in after the Mistymon, one of them closing the door behind them. "What about the others? I sent twenty of you! Where're the other eleven?!"

"All dead," the Mistymon replied angrily. He glared at Sinduramon. "He deleted them during the fight."

"Eleven of them?!" Vikemon snarled.

"It wasn't very difficult either!" Sinduramon made a point to say with a self-satisfied smirk gracing the corners of his beak.

Vikemon sneered and walked up to the rooster Deva, glaring at him. "Well, we still got you, didn't we?" he asked him lowly.

"Only through sheer dumb luck," Sinduramon taunted, looking up at him. "I had been drinking at the time. …It must be embarrassing to know that your elite team almost lost to a drunken rooster."

The Cyberdramon mercenary glanced at the Knightmon beside him. "Told you we should've used his scarf as a gag instead."

"Yeah, well, he didn't scratch you," the Knightmon replied as they both handed the prisoner to Vikemon.

Vikemon grabbed Sinduramon by the wings and carried him over to DarkKnightmon's table. As he approached, he slammed the rooster Deva down on top of it, his back impacting the wood tremulously.

Dorbickmon watched as his glass of beer fell over and spilled all over the table and Sinduramon's wing. "I was drinking that."

"Just grab his wings. You want something out of him, don't you?" Vikemon said.

Dorbickmon and Omegamon Zwart both grabbed Sinduramon's wings and pinned him against the table, while Vikemon held down his feet.

"I don't like where this is going!" Sinduramon said aloud, his eye twitching.

DarkKnightmon stood up and looked down at Sinduramon. "I just want to ask you some questions," he said to him.

"Somehow, I don't think you'd send a team of mercenaries after a Deva just to ask him about current affairs or the weather," the avian Digimon replied, leering suspiciously at DarkKnightmon. "Get to the point, tin man. What the hell do you want?"

"Very well, then," DarkKnightmon answered. "You're straightforward. I won't beat around the bush. I want to know where Imperialdramon Paladin Mode is."

Sinduramon closed his eyes and tilted his head up proudly. "I'm a Deva. Why would I know anything about that?" he said uncooperatively.

"It's precisely _because_ you're a Deva," the dark knight spoke. "I know that Imperialdramon Paladin Mode is meeting with your master and the other three Holy Beasts."

"How do you know that?" Sinduramon challenged contentiously. DarkKnightmon smirked behind his visor upon hearing that he had been proved right. Sinduramon noticed his mistake too late and swore under his breath at the fact that his mouth had gotten ahead of his brain again. With a grimace, he added, "Hypothetically speaking."

"You just told him," Dorbickmon said dryly.

"You can't prove that!" the rooster Deva explained, struggling in an attempt to free his wings.

"Where are they?" DarkKnightmon asked in a calm, diplomatic voice.

"You must be as dumb as you look if you think I would betray Lord Baihumon!" Sinduramon trilled in retort. "I am his trusted and loyal servant!"

"Oh… I see now…" DarkKnightmon replied slyly. "I made a mistake to come to you."

Sinduramon nodded victoriously. "Now you're getting it, dumb- wait... _Why_?" he demanded, opening his eyes and leering at DarkKnightmon suspiciously.

"I apologize… It's obvious to me now. …He didn't tell you, did he?" DarkKnightmon said, looking down at Sinduramon.

"What are you talking about? Of course he told me! I'm just not going to tell you about it!" Sinduramon insisted.

"No, you don't have to explain. I understand why you don't know; I heard you have a reputation as a gossip," the black knight mused purposefully. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you by bringing up the fact that Baihumon doesn't trust you."

Sinduramon glared at him fiercely. "What are you playing at? Of course he trusts me, you mountain of scrap metal! You really don't think I know where they are?!" he protested argumentatively, too worked up by the provocations to realize the implications of the words leaving his beak.

"No, I don't believe you do."

"Then you really are a dimwitted noble! Behind all of those sleek, refined words and posturing, you're nothing but an empty suit of armour with an even emptier helmet!" Sinduramon remarked sharply. "Please. To think that Lord Baihumon thinks I'm a gossip."

"That's only your opinion," DarkKnightmon countered. "You're just trying to defend your pride."

Narrowing his eyes, Sinduramon scoffed with anger masked by haughtiness. "Tch! Then what if I told you they were meeting in the airspace ten kilometers south of Bakhu Mountain?! I dare you to call me a liar n-" The rooster Deva's eyes widened with horror when his mind quickly caught up with his mouth. "-ow…"

DarkKnightmon smirked and took a step back. If the avian Digimon's wings were free, he would have brought one over his face in utter mortification and self-loathing. He suddenly felt like retreating into his cracked armour out of humiliation. However, his shock and distress soon morphed into rage. Sinduramon fixed a piercing, furious glare on DarkKnightmon's calm, satisfied face. "You tricked me, you deceitful son of a bitch!"

"You're sharp," DarkKnightmon told him. "But, fortunately for me, your tongue is sharper."

Sinduramon clenched his beak with frustration. However, he regained his composure and flipped his cockscomb back. "Fine. Go there if you want," he told them, hastily backtracking in an attempt to make it seem like he was lying about the location. "The Four Holy Beasts and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode can strike you and your cheap cronies down without losing a hair. That is, if they're even there."

"That's a chance I will have to take," DarkKnightmon responded, turning his back to the captive Deva and calling his bluff. "Thank you, Sinduramon. You live up to your reputation, you'll be happy to hear."

Sinduramon sneered at him bitterly. "I'll be the first to dance on your memorial."

"I'll remember that in a month's time," DarkKnightmon responded. He turned to Vikemon. "Bind him and put him in the pub cellar. If we let him go now, he'll only warn them. I'll free him after this business with the Royal Knights his done with."

Vikemon nodded and kept hold of the Deva's legs while whistling for his subordinates to come over. "Sure you don't want some back up? The chicken's right when he says that they'll be pretty tough… The five of them are as strong as the Royal Knights, if not stronger. We'll back you up for the right price."

Sinduramon started struggling combatively as DarkKnightmon's companions moved out of the way so that four of the Valancers could descend on him. "Guh! Let go of me, you filthy mongrels!" he protested energetically. "If you think I'll let you attack my master…!"

"Don't worry. I have no interest in the Four Holy Beasts," DarkKnightmon told him, heading towards the exit of the tavern.

As Sinduramon was restrained by the mercenaries, Dorbickmon, MirageGaogamon, and Omegamon Zwart followed DarkKnightmon out of the pub.

The four stepped out into the night and strode down the wide street. While walking away from the dimly lit public house, MirageGaogamon turned to DarkKnightmon. "So, Sir… What's the plan? How are we going to take down Imperialdramon Paladin Mode?"

"_Imperialdramon_…" Omegamon Zwart thought to himself with a frown. "_Is he an enemy as well? …Yes, he is. I remember now._"

"Actually," DarkKnightmon spoke. "I would like to deal with him alone."

"But sir!" MirageGaogamon protested.

"Is that wise?" Omegamon Zwart asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sounds oddly reckless for you," Dorbickmon added nonchalantly.

"I realize that," DarkKnightmon answered. "I don't have any qualms about fighting him while he's outnumbered, but… this is something that I must do. I need to bring him down with my own hands if I'm to feel the rightful leader of the new Royal Knights. It sounds petty, I know, but… it is a personal thing for me."

"If that's what you want," Dorbickmon indifferently replied, beginning to walk up a north, outbound road. "I guess you won't mind if I sit this one out and hit up another bar."

MirageGaogamon gave Dorbickmon a leer of disapproval. "…Just be careful, Sir. We're so close... to our goal. I don't want you endangering yourself unnecessarily."

DarkKnightmon nodded and looked forwards into the scrolling night sky. "I will keep that in mind, Captain."

* * *

><p>Alphamon and Dukemon walked through the forest, veiled in the dark of the night. The trees were darkened with shadows, making it hard to see. However, because the trees were fairly spread out, they were able to see the stars in the night sky, as well as one of the moons. In addition to this, Alphamon walked in front, wielding the Seiken Gradalpha like a torch, using the sword of light as illumination in the night.<p>

They both looked around the forest keenly, trying to see any trace of the missing scout. However, they hadn't had much luck.

Dukemon sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "It's getting dark. Think we should head back now? Maybe he returned already…"

"Maybe…" Alphamon conceded, although he wasn't sure whether he wanted to give up their search just yet.

"We're not going to be able to see very much," Dukemon suggested. "Besides, shouldn't we be back around the tree when it's so dark?"

"I suppose you're right. Although the night is when DarkKnightmon is most likely to move…" Alphamon replied, turning around.

As they were about to begin walking, a noise sounded out in the distance behind them.

"Heeeelllp!" a faint voice seemed to call out.

Alphamon and Dukemon both turned around and proceeded to look at each other. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," Dukemon responded.

"Is someone there?!" the voice called out.

Alphamon and Dukemon both jogged towards the voice. They hopped over a few roots and ran past several trees before finding them at the edge of a small clearing beneath a few blue-leaved trees. A Butterflymon lay in the center of the clearing, tied up with rope.

"Butterflymon!" Alphamon reacted with shock at seeing the scout in such a state. He and Dukemon rushed over the bound insect Digimon.

"S-Sir Dukemon?! Sir Alphamon?!" Butterflymon said in a mixture of relief and embarrassment. "Thank Yggdrasil you're here…"

"Hold very still," Alphamon told him. He slashed the Seiken Gradalpha out in a single, precise stroke. Each coil of rope split and parted around Butterflymon while leaving his body untouched.

As the rope fell around him, Butterflymon sighed with relief and stood up. "Th-Thank you, Sir Alphamon. I was starting to worry nobody would find me in time," he said to them, rubbing one of his arms. "Sorry that I was caught…"

"Don't worry," Alphamon told him. "Who did that to you?"

"…It was DarkKnightmon and his team," Butterflymon said with a grimace. "I was patrolling around here, and I thought I saw something, but they ambushed me and tied me up. He questioned me for information…" He looked up at the two knights with worry. "It… it isn't good news."

"What…? What is it?" Dukemon asked, frowning with concern at his words.

"He wanted to know where Imperialdramon Paladin Mode was…"

The expressions of the Royal Knights filled with alarm, followed by dire anger. Alphamon glared hard and balled up his fists tightly. "No… Imperialdramon… I should have seen it…" he whispered grievously.

"I… I'm sorry, Sir," Butterflymon said, bowing his head with shut eyes.

"It's not your fault… You couldn't help it…" Dukemon assured him, although evidently furious at the news as well.

"No, it's not that…" Butterflymon answered with guilt filling his voice. "I might have given him a hint to where Sir Imperialdramon Paladin Mode is."

Dukemon looked at him with surprise. "What? You don't know, do you?" he asked.

"N-No… but I mentioned that I thought I saw him a few months ago, talking to Sinduramon," the insect scout explained. "Then he went all quiet and left."

Alphamon frowned. "Sinduramon… The Four Holy Beasts…" he muttered. "Are they connected to Imperialdramon…? Could it be…?"

Dukemon turned and looked at Alphamon with a raised eyebrow. "…You think that they're having talks over our heads."

"It's… a possibility," Alphamon replied, pensive concern in his voice. "It seems like something Imperialdramon might do, doesn't it…?"

"Yeah…" Dukemon admitted.

"And in light of the attack on the World Tree…" Alphamon began, frowning harder.

"They might be having another one. Nearby, maybe…" Dukemon replied. "And DarkKnightmon wants him."

"What would he want with Sir Imperialdramon Paladin Mode?" Butterflymon couldn't help but ask.

"To use him to destroy us," Alphamon said gravely. "In one way or another."

"None of which are good…" Dukemon added, wincing.

Alphamon turned to Butterflymon. "Can you fly?"

The scout nodded.

"Then come with us," he told him. "We need to return to the others. Quickly. We have to intensify our search efforts. We can't let him find Imperialdramon."

"I agree… but Imperialdramon's pretty tough. Tough enough to beat DarkKnightmon if he had to," Dukemon told him.

"Yes, but we can't underestimate DarkKnightmon. If he sees weakness, he'll exploit it. He could use any sort of trick to get the better of Imperialdramon," Alphamon countered.

"You mean like his good heart?" Dukemon asked with a wince.

Alphamon nodded. "His morals… their friendship… Omegamon… I wouldn't put anything past DarkKnightmon anymore."

Dukemon sighed and made to move.

The Lord of the Empty Seat frowned deeply and began to fly into the sky, still using his sword as a beacon for the others to follow. "Come on! We have to hurry. We need to get as many of the Royal Knights on this as possible…"

Alphamon flew through the air and lowered his gaze. "Before it's too late…"

* * *

><p>DarkKnightmon, MirageGaogamon, and Omegamon Zwart flew through the night sky. They soared over earthy, rocky terrain, full of crags and outcroppings. Most of the land around the Bakhu Mountain range was like that, as the ground was stony and not very fertile.<p>

They continued flying northwards, towards their destination. Dorbickmon followed through on his intention of staying out of the way and going to a bar. DarkKnightmon didn't mind, as Dorbickmon couldn't fly anyways.

In the distance, they could see the outlines of the mountain range, though only the silhouettes, thanks to one of the moons behind them. It was too dark to see much else, especially at such a distance. They would soon see if Sinduramon was telling the truth, although DarkKnightmon was fairly certain that he had been.

However, after another kilometer, MirageGaogamon suddenly stopped. "DarkKnightmon," he said in a quiet but serious voice.

DarkKnightmon and Omegamon Zwart flew to a stop behind him. "Have you picked up something?" DarkKnightmon asked him.

"The scent of ashes…" MirageGaogamon replied, sniffing.

The three of them looked ahead of them keenly. They weren't able to see Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, but they definitely spotted a large, orange glow in the sky, backed by the stars and mountain peaks.

"There," Omegamon Zwart spoke, pointing to the fiery flicker in the distance.

"Let's move closer. Fly low," DarkKnightmon told them, moving ahead and flying down.

The others followed after him, gliding close to the ground. Their dark forms provided camouflage for them as they soared. After a few minutes, DarkKnightmon landed behind a long, ridge-like outcropping that hid them from view from above. MirageGaogamon and Omegamon Zwart landed nearby and stepped behind the cover.

DarkKnightmon peered around the stony apex of the outcropping and stared into the sky. There, he saw the unmistakeable form of Zhuqiaomon, seeming to fly in place. He was speaking with somebody, but they were too far to hear the words, only the vibrations from Zhuqiaomon's deep voice.

"It's Zhuqiaomon," DarkKnightmon whispered.

"Is there anybody else?" MirageGaogamon asked quietly.

The black knight looked around the land and sky carefully. "The other three Holy Beasts aren't there. However…" DarkKnightmon looked up to see who and what Zhuqiaomon was talking to. There was somebody in front of the holy phoenix. It was too small to make out very well, but a glint of the moonlight upon something metallic on the Digimon's form was all the proof that DarkKnightmon needed. "Imperialdramon's there."

He kept hidden but continued to watch the two in the sky. By Zhuqiaomon's body language and the tone in his echoes, it seemed like they were finishing up their conversation.

Zhuqiaomon nodded at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and flapped his eight wings, flying above him and circling around. He gave the founder of the Royal Knights a final word and then began to shoot off in the night sky, his fiery form lighting it up like a massive torch.

As the phoenix Digimon passed over them, DarkKnightmon was forced to move back behind the outcropping so that he wasn't illuminated. When Zhuqiaomon had passed, DarkKnightmon looked out again and got ready to act.

"Be careful, Sir," MirageGaogamon told him.

Omegamon Zwart looked out silently.

DarkKnightmon nodded, able to see a white form against the sky more clearly now that the luminous Zhuqiaomon was gone. It was definitely Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. The black knight stepped out from around the stone and took off, into the air.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode flapped his white wings, beginning to fly through the night sky, initially unaware of the approaching presence.

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and gripped the Twin Spear in his hand as he ascended to attack Imperialdramon.

Imperialdramon sensed a presence from behind him and began to slow down in his flight. As DarkKnightmon closed in on him, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode spun around and whipped his sword downwards. The Omega Blade, a huge, gold and white broadsword as long as his body, swung through the air towards DarkKnightmon. It sung as it descended, but DarkKnightmon raised the Twin Spear in time. As the two weapons clashed in a burst of sparks, the two Digimon pushed hard against the other

They were both forced back in the air. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode took the opportunity to look at his assailant. After a brief look of surprise, Imperialdramon's eyes narrowed. "DarkKnightmon…" he spoke.

"Imperialdramon…" DarkKnightmon responded, looking at the white knight.

"Have you been following me?" the Paladin Mode asked.

"Searching for you," the black knight said, raising his double-headed spear in front of him.

Imperialdramon gritted his teeth. He didn't need to ask why DarkKnightmon was looking for him. "You just won't let it go, will you? This blood-soaked dream of yours…"

"My dream… " DarkKnightmon mused. "Dreams are meaningless if they're not pursued," he countered. "What good are dreams that are suffixed by the words 'maybe one day…'? Without action, they're just pleasant words."

"You're going about this the wrong way!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode told him. "If you weren't so damn obstinate, all of this could have been avoided! But no, it had to be _your_ way – on _your_ terms…"

"Nobody else listened to me. The other Royal Knights were too blinded by Alphamon and his title to think for themselves. They didn't know what was in the best interest for the Digital World," the dark knight Digimon responded.

"And kidnapping, extortion, and attacking the World Tree is in the best interest of the Digital World?" Imperialdramon challenged.

"A means to an end. Just like this is," DarkKnightmon responded. He prepared himself to fight.

"What happened to you, DarkKnightmon…?" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode muttered. His red eyes hardened with resolve and he gripped the Omega Blade with both hands. "I have a duty to stop you. Don't think you can defeat me just because I haven't been with the others. And don't expect me to go easy on you either."

DarkKnightmon smirked. "This is the turning point, Imperialdramon. For the both of us. For the world."

"Enough," Imperialdramon spoke commandingly. His white, draconic form was backed by the distant moon as he flapped his broad, draconic wings to hover in place. He poised his sword back, narrowed his eyes, and charged.

The Twin Spear began to pulsate with dark energy as DarkKnightmon aimed one tip at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "Very well," he said. After those words, a huge column of shadows surged from his spear towards Imperialdramon.

Even though they were harder to see at night, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode could still make out the torrent of dark matter flooding towards him. With mighty flaps of his wings, he suddenly flew upwards, above the rush of darkness, just skimming the edges of the attack seamlessly as it passed under him. Imperialdramon held the Omega Blade behind him in one hand as he rushed towards DarkKnightmon.

As Imperialdramon closed in on him, DarkKnightmon ceased his attack and allowed the shadows to fizzle out. He flipped the Twin Spear around in his hand and prepared to block the incoming attack. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode began to swing his sword forwards, prompting DarkKnightmon to raise his spear in an anticipated defence. However, Imperialdramon stopped the slash during mid swing, and suddenly lashed forwards with his left hand, catching DarkKnightmon off guard.

"Splendor Blade!" Imperialdramon shouted in tandem with his punch. The golden claws of his gauntlets lit up in the dark, dazzling DarkKnightmon's vision, before the jagged talons connected with DarkKnightmon's helmet.

DarkKnightmon grunted with pain as his head jerked back sharply and awkwardly. He was thrown violently backwards in the air, but not before lashing his pole arm out in a horizontal swing. The Twin Spear sliced across Imperialdramon's torso, cutting neatly along the soft, leathery fabric covering the scales of his abdomen. The tip of the spear drew a few drops of blood, but the cut wasn't very deep.

Imperialdramon winced fleetingly and, this time, followed through with a slash from his sword. He raced after DarkKnightmon and lashed the Omega Blade down diagonally, which impacted his breastplate with incredible weight, managing to leave a large, narrow dent and a small gash within it. The impact was strong enough to bash DarkKnightmon downwards He pulled the sword along the armour neatly, drawing a few sparks and a shrill scraping noise as he withdrew the broadsword. Imperialdramon reared his wings back as he looped the blade around, diving down for another vertical slash.

This time, however, DarkKnightmon was ready for the aggressive, powerful attack. He just managed to dart to the right so that the swing missed him completely. He lashed out as Imperialdramon passed him and slashed the Twin Spear across Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's left wing before ramming into him with the crescent shoulder blade on his left arm.

Imperialdramon growled as the concave body slammed into his form and pushed him back through the air. He got ready to counterattack, but DarkKnightmon swung his arm out and forced the founder of the Royal Knights to the side. DarkKnightmon passed by him and turned around, having reversed the positions they had started the fight in.

The white knight swung around quickly, opening up the dragon head on his chest, which started to brim with energy. "So you're making me face the moon so the light makes you harder to see…" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode said to him.

"Very astute," DarkKnightmon told him, spinning the Twin Spear around in his hand. He didn't make the pain from the gash in his armour evident. "I much prefer having you as an ally than an enemy."

"Same to you…" Imperialdramon said bitterly. He rushed forwards with his sword, closing the distance on DarkKnightmon. The opened port within his chest armour suddenly began to surge and bristle with black lightning. "Hyper Prominence!"

A thick, crackling stream of the dark electricity tore through the air and descended on DarkKnightmon. The black knight tried to avoid it, but the blast was too wide, and the lightning coursed through his armoured form.

DarkKnightmon released a restrained shout of pain as his muscles trembled and contracted. Despite the agony of the attack, he managed to raise his Twin Spear and fire a shot off from it.

Imperialdramon narrowed his eyes at the oncoming rush of darkness and reared his sword over his head. He slashed down right as the blast approached him, cutting the beam of shadows down the middle. The holy knight snarled as he held against the attack, but managed to completely part it after five seconds.

When the shadows faded, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode looked up again. To his surprise, DarkKnightmon was nowhere to be found.

He sneered to himself and looked around warily, doing his best to cover every axis. He gripped the Omega Blade readily, and prepared his claws and cannon just in case.

Suddenly, a cut opened up on the dragon knight's muscular tail, spurting out a bit of blood and sending an intense stinging pain shooting up the appendage.

"Air Slicer!" a voice echoed from nearby.

Imperialdramon grunted in pain and swung around, slashing his blade. However, there was nobody behind him and he only succeeded in cleaving the night air. As he did that, another slice cut across the backs of his wings agonizingly.

"Grah!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode shouted out, spinning around and firing another strong Hyper Prominence blast from his chest, sending black lightning shooting through the sky.

"Spear Needle!" a voice said from below.

A short figure lunged through the air with amazing speed and planted the two lances on his arms into Imperialdramon's covered back before jumping off with a kick.

The white armoured dragon arched his back with pain but managed to retaliate with anger. He garbled out the attack name 'Splendor Blade' and cuffed his claws down SkullKnightmon's lower body, tearing the armour of his leg.

"_So he split into his component parts,_" he thought to himself with a pained wince. "_That's why it seems like he's everywhere at once. Their teamwork is-_!"

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode whirled around upon seeing something out of the corner of his eye, above him and to his side.

"Aqua Rage!" DeadlyAxemon roared, descending towards him and releasing a flood of a brightly coloured liquid from his mouth.

As the downpour of liquid fell towards him Imperialdramon lashed out his sword and darted to the left, slashing the attack away. He successfully avoided the attack, but some of the liquid that landed on his sword attempted to eat away at the durable metal with an audible hiss.

He made a lunge for the speedy DeadlyAxemon, knowing he had trouble turning sharply and would be forced to fall near the dragon knight. Imperialdramon watch the dark blur approach and he coiled his sword back and made ready to cleave him out of the air. However, he hesitated when he felt a presence behind him.

"Breast-eye Wink!" SkullKnightmon spoke, shooting up from the ground towards Imperialdramon. The two red eyes on the armour of his chest suddenly launched crimson beams, which burned into Paladin Mode's back.

Despite his smoking back, Imperialdramon spun around and drove the Omega Blade into SkullKnightmon's side, bashing him aside violently. He then continued spinning at for a full rotation, hoping to catch DeadlyAxemon with his sword as well.

However, DeadlyAxemon closed in on him too quickly. "Aqua Rage!" he announced again, swiftly spewing the corrosive liquid onto Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's chest. The dragon snarled as the solution burned and stung his form, causing him to writhe a bit and recoil.

"Aqua Regia!" DeadlyAxemon followed up. DeadlyAxemon's body suddenly morphed into a liquid in mid air. His aqueous form splattered onto Imperialdramon's body in a sticky, viscous state, causing the dragon knight to have trouble moving. It was difficult to get DeadlyAxemon off of him.

"Rrgh. Damn it," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode swore with annoyance as he tried to remove the thick, consuming liquid from himself.

SkullKnightmon landed on the ground, panting from pain from the last attack. He felt a massive bruise forming under his armour, and perhaps the warm trickle of blood. However, he wasn't going to waste this opportunity. He bounded off the ground again and made a direct path towards Imperialdramon.

"Breast-eye Wink!" SkullKnightmon said, releasing another set of twin beams from his armour.

Imperialdramon hissed as the beams exploded against his legs while he was occupied. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that SkullKnightmon was still coming. Deciding that he had had enough, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode focused his energies on his chest cannon: one of the parts that DeadlyAxemon was covering with his liquefied self.

"Hyper Prominence!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode announced. The cannon roared with power and unleashed a violent stream of dark electricity into DeadlyAxemon at point blank range.

With a screech of agony, DeadlyAxemon pulled his liquid state away from Imperialdramon and morphed back into his body. He fell to the ground with a crash. His form shuddered and writhed on the ground and his data flickered dangerously.

"DeadlyAxemon!" SkullKnightmon called out with concern. He narrowed his eyes and continued his speedy charge.

However, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode was ready for him. He whirled his body around, through the smoke that cloaked him, and reared his foot back. "Imperial Kick!" he shouted, whipping his leg around and cracking his boot across SkullKnightmon's face with incredible strength.

SkullKnightmon gasped and fell to the rocky ground like a meteor. His body hit the ground in a burst of dirt.

Imperialdramon panted a bit and took the moment of reprieve to recover and decide his next move.

As he did that, SkullKnightmon pulled himself to his feet and staggered over to his partner, who was in rough shape.

"Are you alright?" SkullKnightmon asked, looking down at DeadlyAxemon, who lay on the ground and groaned.

"I'll live…" he answered, his voice hoarse. His data continued to flicker.

"He's caught on to our tactics. It's time we digixrosed to compose ourselves," SkullKnightmon advised him, though also knowing that DeadlyAxemon might not survive another attack like that last one, and wanting to prevent losing him.

DeadlyAxemon snarled and forced himself to stand to his feet. "Yeah… Let's go DarkKnightmon… Finish him with brute force."

SkullKnightmon nodded and began to glow with light, as did DeadlyAxemon. "DigiXros!"

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode turned to look at the sudden light illuminating the darkness from below. He watched as the two partners became DarkKnightmon again and knew that he had to act. As the port within the dragon head on his armour breathed residual strands of electricity, a massive cannon emerged from the opening. Imperialdramon gripped the huge cannon steadily and aimed it at DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon looked up and saw that the cannon pointed at him was already building up a dark power within it. He narrowed his eyes and flew into the air, prompting Imperialdramon Paladin Mode to pivot and follow his movements with his aim. The dragon made sure not to lose him in the dark of the night.

DarkKnightmon sped up, causing the white knight to begin to lead him. The black knight flew at a curve, bending through the air.

Imperialdramon felt that his cannon was ready to fire a full blast. He gripped the handles in his hands and looked at DarkKnightmon with a fine gaze. "Giga De-"

"Wait!" DarkKnightmon beseeched him, suddenly stopping between Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and the mountain range.

Caught off guard by this, Imperialdramon halted his action temporarily, against his better judgment. He raised his eye ridge curiously but sceptically, eyeing DarkKnightmon.

"You don't want to do that, Imperialdramon…" DarkKnightmon advised.

Imperialdramon eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

"Bakhu Mountain is right behind me," the dark knight informed him. "If you fire that, you'll cause an avalanche, if not completely obliterate the mountain. The town of Bakhu that's built alongside the mountain will be crushed. You wouldn't want to be the cause of that."

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode glared at him. "_Damn it. He's right… I can't fire at him while he's between me and that mountain, and he knows that,_" he thought to himself. He hesitated retracting the cannon, not wanting to show that he was backing down, but he decided that he had no choice. "_I'll have to fight him hand-to-hand._"

The founder of the Royal Knights flapped his sore wings and tore through the dark sky towards DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon saw this and smiled calmly. He began to spin the Twin Spear around in his hands tempestuously. Spirals of darkness began to shoot out from the rapid whirling of the lance. Soon, a full funnel of shadows had formed and it soared through the air towards Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "Treason Vortex!"

"Hyper Prominence!" Imperialdramon countered, releasing a powerful surge of black lightning bolts towards the dark, violet cyclone.

The crackling, staggered strands of electricity slammed into the whirlwind en masse. The two forces pounded into each other with nearly equal force. Shadows and lightning exploded outwards in a giant explosion that ripped up rock and dust on the ground below.

Not letting DarkKnightmon use the cover of the explosion this time, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode raced forwards. He shot through the residual darkness of the blast and made a direct route for the former Royal Knight. DarkKnightmon saw Imperialdramon diving towards him. He narrowed his eyes coldly and charged him straight back.

"Twin Spear!" DarkKnightmon shouted, thrusting his lance towards Imperialdramon Paladin Mode as they closed in on one another.

"Omega Blade!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode retorted, stabbing his broadsword forwards.

Both blades struck true, the tips of each weapon digging into the other's armour. The sharp end of the Twin Spear pierced into the cheek of the armoured dragon head of Imperialdramon's breastplate, sending fractures forming through the white metal as the pole arm dug deeper and perforated his outer scales. Meanwhile, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's Omega Blade cut through DarkKnightmon's armour right between his armoured collar and the crest on his chest, slicing across his clavicle.

Both warriors grimaced with pain and swiftly retracted their blades from one another to counterattack, drawing blood from the wounds in the process.

"Don't think that you can beat a Mega III, DarkKnightmon! Splendor Blade!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode called out, driving his left claws into DarkKnightmon's chest.

DarkKnightmon's back arched and the breath left his lungs, but he fought through the pain enough to strike back. He drove his spiked knee into Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's bleeding gut, exacerbating the fresh wound.

Imperialdramon let out a sharp gurgle of pain, but responded with a solid uppercut across DarkKnightmon's face.

Grunting and feeling blood spurt into the inside of his visor, DarkKnightmon responded to the brutal melee they found themselves in. "Shoulder Blade!" he whispered in an adrenaline-fueled state. He lashed his left arm out and slashed the crescent blade on his shoulder into Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's form. He then spun around, his cape flipping up and somewhat obstructing the dragon's vision as he whirled around and drove the thick, metal base of the Twin Spear across Imperialdramon's face.

Imperialdramon growled and fell to the side, although he flapped his wings vigorously to keep himself in the air. He spat out a mouthful of blood and snarled at his foe. "DarkKnightmon…" His crimson eyes gleamed with anger and he rushed DarkKnightmon, slashing his sword down. "You can't win!"

DarkKnightmon sneered and struggled to bring his pole arm up in time, just narrowly blocking the deadly strike. The sword rebounded off and DarkKnightmon lashed his arm outwards, swinging the Twin Spear at Imperialdramon at a wide, sweeping arc.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode recovered quickly, blocking the spear with the flat side of his blade. He then cut downwards, ripping the tip of the holy blade through DarkKnightmon's golden crest and further down through the armour, cutting a gash through the left 'eye' of the skull motif.

Pain seared his chest as the tip of the sword cut through skin and sent fragments of metal flying out. However, it failed to strike deep thanks to his armour's thick protection. DarkKnightmon's arm had been forced down by the attack, but that was all. It provided him with an opportunity to strike back. He angled the Twin Spear and thrust it towards Imperialdramon's chest.

Imperialdramon gritted his teeth and grabbed the shaft of the Twin Spear with his left hand, halting the impending stab before it hit his armour. In his right hand, he continued to hold the Omega Blade, which was still embedded in DarkKnightmon's armour. He contemplated running DarkKnightmon through with his sword then and there.

However, a sly gleam flashed in DarkKnightmon's cold eyes. The Twin Spear surged with dark energy, which washed over Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's arm, wing, and half of his body. The dragon knight let out a pained cry as he was forced back through the air, spinning around slightly from the concussion of the blast. But even as the shadows burned at his form, he swung around and slapped his large, blue tail across DarkKnightmon's face, causing the dark knight's head to jerk to the side. He followed up by rearing his sword arm way back and then hurling it forwards at a horizontal axis.

DarkKnightmon's eyes widened as he saw the Omega Blade gleam in the moonlight as it sliced through the air towards him. He raised the blade on his left arm upwards to block the attack, only just nearly catching the sword inside the concave metal. However, the extreme might of the attack sent him hurdling through the air. He tried to strike out with the Twin Spear, but Imperialdramon Paladin Mode kicked it aside with a high, mid-air kick.

The Twin Spear nearly flew out of DarkKnightmon's grasp, but he was just able to hold onto it. However, his arm was forced away from his body, and he was completely exposed when Imperialdramon Paladin Mode lunged at him again.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode flapped his pained wings strongly, flying so that his body was right over DarkKnightmon as they flew through the air. He flipped the Omega Blade over in his hands, preparing to stab it down in an overhand grip. At the same time, the chipped dragon head on his chest opened its maw up and began to brim with raging energy.

DarkKnightmon saw the two impending attacks before him. He was unable to do anything to defend himself from them.

Imperialdramon grunted and began to stab downwards while releasing the Hyper Prominence blast from his chest.

"Garuru Cannon!" a voice sounded out.

A bright, blue light suddenly illuminated the darkness to Imperialdramon's side. He halted his attack in response to the voice, the radiance, and the growing hissing sound to his right. He looked over just in time to see an orb of blue energy tear through the darkness and collide with him.

"Gragh!" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode sputtered as the sphere slammed into him and detonated in a massive burst of ice and power.

The blue explosion lit up the night sky and sent both Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and DarkKnightmon hurdling apart, although Imperialdramon took the brunt of the explosion.

As he was rocked by the blast, the Omega Blade slipped from his frigid fingers. Despite the freezing numbness in the right side he did his best to fly with just his left wing, attempting to fly after the sword and catch it in time.

However, he felt something round, cold, and metal press right against his back. His eyes narrowed with realisation.

"Garuru Cannon," the voice spoke from behind him.

The cannon exploded with power at point blank range. The glowing discharge of energy exploded against Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's back in a severe, dominating blast of power. The ice coated his back and the explosion sent him crashing to the rocky ground below. Imperialdramon hit the ground with his upper body, landing face down on the craggy terrain. The Omega Blade fell and clattered to the ground nearby.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode grimaced and weakly lifted his head up. He got to his hands and knees, trying to push himself up. As he began to rise, he glanced over his shoulder, into the night sky. He saw a familiar, black armoured figure hovering above him.

"O…mega…mon…" he murmured.

Omegamon Zwart looked down at him with cold, unreadable, crimson eyes. He raised his Garuru Arm.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode grimaced and reached his bloodied, partially frozen arm out, towards the Omega Blade. His fingers neared the sword's hilt…

"Garuru Cannon," Omegamon Zwart spoke again, launching a high powered shot from his cannon arm.

The burst of energy slammed into Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's back, crushing him into the ground decisively. The entire back side of his form was frozen by the attack.

Despite the numb, freezing pain throughout his body, Imperialdramon continued to resist. He flexed his bloodied, white wings and shattered the coating of ice that covered them. After a quick glance to the side, he saw that the Omega Blade was covered by many inches of ice and pinned to the ground. He snarled deeply and began to push himself up on trembling arms stubbornly.

He looked up and locked eyes with Omegamon Zwart. "Ome… Omegamon… It's… me…" he tried to reason, even with his rapidly declining strength.

Omegamon Zwart's red eyes gleamed with cold fury. "I know." He aimed the cannon at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode once again. Before he fired, he stared deeply into the dragon knight's eyes. "That's why…" he whispered.

His ebony features flashed with blue as he fired a new sphere of ice from his cannon.

Imperialdramon made a final, determined stand. Despite the layers of ice coating his body, he lunged for the Omega Blade and stabbed his glowing claws through the ice, shattering it. He managed to grab hold of the sword, which began to glow…

But then the attack impacted with his body and exploded. He was crushed into the ground, forming another deep crater beside the previous one.

However, Omegamon Zwart didn't let up. He fired another blast into Imperialdramon, and then another. Explosion after explosion hammered and crushed Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's body. Omegamon was originally a Mega II, but as Omegamon Zwart, augmented by the powers of darkness, his power almost reached that of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's. Imperialdramon felt the full strength of this power in every agonizing blast. Each new explosion of power and ice drove him deeper and deeper. Each layer of ice over him shattered before forming anew with the next one.

Omegamon Zwart continued the merciless attack, blasting continuously for ten more seconds before finally lowering his cannon.

The frosty breath, dust, and smoke wafted up from the bottom of the ice-encrusted crater. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode lay at the bottom, unmoving.

Omegamon Zwart stared at him wordlessly for a few moments. He then descended and landed at the edge of the impact crater, peering into it to see if he needed to hit him with another attack. He didn't. Imperialdramon was unconscious and completely still.

DarkKnightmon flew over and landed beside Omegamon Zwart with an icy, stern gaze. "That was unnecessary, Omegamon Zwart."

"What's unnecessary is dueling him along when MirageGaogamon and I were here," Omegamon Zwart countered. "You were losing, so I hit him when he wasn't expecting it."

"That's arguable…" DarkKnightmon responded. He turned and stepped into the hole, dotted with tiny ice crystals. The dark knight stood over the body of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and watched as the ice along his winged back began to melt and fracture. "However… I suppose I let my sentimentality get the better of me. The job is done, and that's what matters."

He bent down and picked Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's heavy form up, lugging him over the shoulder that wasn't wounded.

MirageGaogamon walked over. "DarkKnightmon… Are you alright?" he asked, noticing the various rends in his armour.

"Yes… None of the cuts are very deep. I can't let them slow me down," DarkKnightmon replied, holding Imperialdramon with one hand, and his Twin Spear with the other. He was downplaying the actual pain that he felt, as well as the severity of some of the wounds that he had received, but they weren't able to tell by the tone of his voice.

"You managed to beat Sir Imperialdramon…" MirageGaogamon said, frowning a little. "What now?"

"Now, I need you to go and fetch Dorbickmon along with the equipment that he has with him," the dark knight told him.

MirageGaogamon nodded dutifully.

"And also…" DarkKnightmon began ominously. "Gather our army of mercenaries."

"Sir…" MirageGaogamon responded.

"So… it's time," Omegamon Zwart spoke, his blood red eyes staring into DarkKnightmon's. After a moment, his eyes trailed over to Imperialdramon thoughtfully.

DarkKnightmon closed his eyes. "Yes…" he replied in dark repose. "We advance on the World Tree tonight. We'll attack at first light and subjugate through force whoever tries to resist. By this time tomorrow, the myth of the Royal Knights will be over and I will be free to start my own Order. And then… then finally… everything will change."

DarkKnightmon looked over his shoulder at the unconscious Imperialdramon Paladin Mode resting on it.

"Isn't that right, Imperialdramon?"


	39. Chapter 28: The Battle of the World Tree

(Author's Notes: Everybody hold onto your seats. Chapter 28 is here. Enjoy! By the way, I just got Digimon All-Star Rumble. Should be fun. Examon, Dukemon, and Omegamon are in the game - yay.)

**Chapter 28: The Battle of the World Tree**

Morning broke and the deep blue hue of the night began to recede. The stars and moons faded in the distance as the sun emerged from the horizon, though it was still too low to be seen through the forest of the Neutral Zone. A quiet breeze blew through across the multi-coloured, flower-filled clearing. The colossal World Tree stood at its center, its evergreen leaves shuddering.

At the base of the World Tree's trunk slept countless members of the Order's military. Many guards who were on night duty patrolled the clearing or perched on the tree's massive branches for a nice vantage point. The Royal Knights, minus Duftmon, were out all night, scouring the area with the Reconnaissance Squadron and some of the Aerial Strike Forces for DarkKnightmon before he could find Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. Little did they know, they were already too late.

Duftmon got up from the root he was lying on. He thought he heard something from the distance, but that wasn't the reason he was up. He woke up punctually early to start the day before others even realized it started. Even his internal body clock worked as precisely and methodically as the rest of his body did. However, there was a feeling inside of him that he couldn't place, and that irritated him greatly.

However, he had work to do. As the only Royal Knight present and as the lead strategist, he was in charge of all of the World Tree forces. He walked past several sleeping soldiers and approached one of the guards. "You. What do you have to report? Have the Royal Knights returned yet?" he questioned him.

"No, sir. They haven't," the armoured, quadrupedal body of a Maildramon said. He wore a blue band with the Royal Knight's coat of arms around his foreleg. This was worn, in varying colours, by all soldiers of the Royal Knight's Order while they were on a military expedition and expecting to see combat. It served as a friend-or-foe indicator so that, in a chaotic melee, the soldiers would be able to tell who their allies were so that they wouldn't attack them. They also served an organizational purpose, as each colour represented a different division of the Order: red for the Strike Forces, blue for the Defence Forces, and so on. "As for a report…"

"Duftmon, there's a problem," somebody said from behind him.

Duftmon turned and looked over his shoulder with an arched eyebrow. OuRyuumon walked over along with his Grademon leftenant who headed the Ground Forces. Both wore red arm bands. "What is it?" Duftmon asked.

OuRyuumon looked at Grademon to tell Duftmon what he had told him. Grademon stepped up beside the Maildramon and looked at the tactician. "Several of my soldiers haven't returned from their patrols. They were doing area recon deep in the forest."

"Hm…" Duftmon said with a frown. "How many? Which sectors?"

"Ten," OuRyuumon spoke up for his leftenant. "Sectors Zeta Lambda, Zeta Mu, and Zeta Nu."

"All around the same area…" Duftmon spoke, turning and looking towards the north of the World Tree, viewing past the giant root that spiralled into the sky.

"They were at the outer reaches of the search area," Grademon replied. "We sent some others to see where they went, but—"

"Wait!" OuRyuumon said suddenly, his violet eyes hardening and glancing around keenly. He drew his Gairyu swords, which they had managed to salvage from the ruins of the Lupolford town hall, from his belt and gripped them tightly. "Do you feel that?"

Duftmon frowned and pulled himself from his thoughts, beginning to utilize his perceptive senses to see what OuRyuumon was talking about. He glanced around and listened carefully. There was a soft thundering in the distance that seemed to grow gradually louder. In tandem with the foreboding rumbling in the distance was a trembling in the earth.

"Yes…" Duftmon replied, suddenly glaring. "It is coming from the north…"

OuRyuumon snarled and whirled his scimitars around in his claws. "It's the sound of an army marching…"

Suddenly the tremors became violent. It was no longer the footsteps of an army causing the quakes in the ground. It felt as though the subterranean rocks were splitting apart beneath their feet. Several of the guards fell over from the sudden earthquake, and many began to be roused from their sleep. OuRyuumon snarled and flew into the air while Duftmon used his cat-like balance to keep himself steady.

"To arms!" Duftmon shouted, running and fetching his sword, the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi, from beside the World Tree.

The guards and soldiers began to move about quickly in an attempt to find out what was going on. A voice roared out with adrenaline from the northern tree line, echoing across the clearing.

"BURNING THE DRAGON!"

A flood of flames burst from within the dark edge of the forest, swelling upwards. Then, the earth beneath the clearing quavered tumultuously. A crimson dragon man stood at the edge of the clearing, his flaming sword planted firmly in the ground. Dorbickmon's yellow and violet eyes were wide with intensity, stimulation and power as he tapped into the source of the leylines, beneath the World Tree. The extreme power that the well of dragon veins held fed into his attack.

Massive stone pillars, spikes, and tendrils suddenly burst from the ground inside the army's ranks, sending dirt, grass, rocks, and Digimon flying into the air. The rocky protrusions burst up all over the clearing, causing chaos, confusion and panic. The soldiers, guards and scouts evaded the ejections of earth and strata as they shot upwards. They tried to ascertain the whereabouts of the attackers, gather their weapons and armour, and try to organize all at the same time.

"Get up! Scramble!" OuRyuumon shouted to his groggy and bewildered Strike Forces, pointing the Gairyu Udaijin towards the north part of the clearing. "Form up! Move your asses! Don't let a bunch of pebbles scare you!"

Duftmon began to race across the clearing with his rapier in his hand. "They're attacking from the north!" Duftmon shouted. "Leftenant Rapidmon! Form your Aerial Guards up along the right flank in a left echelon! Leftenant Grademon, go with him with a brigade of the Shield Guards! Once in formation, hold the line!"

"You heard him, Leftenant!" Captain OuRyuumon called out to Grademon. "I'll take the Ground Forces over – Shit!" He suddenly swerved his flexible body around a pillar of rock that shot up right in front of him. "- to the left flank!"

"Sir!" they replied, racing to gather their troops.

Duftmon looked over his shoulder at OuRyuumon as he ran, dodging the thrown body of one of their soldiers as it landed nearby. "Take HippoGriffmon and the Aerial Strike Forces too! When they reach the clearing and move to attack the right flank, move up in a hook manoeuvre!"

OuRyuumon nodded and turned forwards, slashing his twin scimitars downwards. "Eiseiryuojin!" he shouted, firing a blast of golden energy from the Gairyus which blasted through an incoming pillar, shattering it to pieces.

Dorbickmon scanned the area, holding the Tyrant Collbrande in place, and watching to see how they all reacted. He heard the thunderous footsteps of DarkKnightmon's mercenary army growing louder behind him, and he knew that it was almost time. The dragon man watched the Royal Knights' forces beginning to split off to the sides, and he saw only Duftmon and a few stragglers in front of him, in the middle. Duftmon was the only Royal Knight among the forces that he was able to see. He wondered if Examon would show up.

"So, these are your tactics, huh?" Dorbickmon said in a growling, adrenaline-fueled voice. "I wonder how much I can screw them up…!" He focused his Burning the Dragon attack precisely, feeling the leylines' energies flowing through him. He concentrated the earth formation in his mind and then he pushed.

Three tendrils of thick rock burst up beneath Duftmon as the Royal Knight ran towards him, catching him in their folds. Duftmon sneered as he was pushed into the air and held there by the stony coils. Despite this impediment, he continued to call out orders to the troops.

"Scouts!" he shouted, looking over his winged shoulder. "Align behind the right flank! Send two teams to the south west and south east to locate the other Royal Knights and check for enemy flankers! Go! Posthaste!"

"I'm not done yet!" Dorbickmon growled. His eyes burned with intensity and he pressed harder into his Burning the Dragon attack.

Two rows of thick rock burst from the flowery grass and rose into the air on each side of the World Tree. One wall rose up forty feet into the air, separating the Royal Knight's right flank – the Defence Forces – from the open middle where Duftmon was. The other wall rose up to the same height right near the left flank – the Strike Forces – also separating them from the middle, as well as impeding them from their manoeuvre. The middle lane was about forty five meters across from one wall to the other.

Duftmon watched with anger as the two walls separated the two flanks from meeting each other, keeping them from him as well. He tried to move his arms and legs to free himself from the coils of the stony outcropping that Dorbickmon had summoned.

"Okay!" Dorbickmon yelled, looking over his shoulder and panting with effort. "All yours, DarkKnightmon! I'd say you got ten minutes before all hell breaks loose!"

"Thank you," DarkKnightmon replied, bursting from the canopies of the dark forest, his black form backed against the dark, emerging, dawn light in the sky.

He flew towards the World Tree with steady resolve. Hanging over his shoulder was the weakened, wounded form of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. Imperialdramon's upper body, minus his wings, was bound with chrome digizoid chains, which made sure to cover the white, draconic mouth on his breastplate so that it wouldn't open up and fire any attacks.

Flying behind DarkKnightmon was Omegamon Zwart and MirageGaogamon, who followed him down the empty lane which served as a direct, unobstructed route to the base of the World Tree.

Duftmon saw that Imperialdramon Paladin Mode had been captured and he couldn't help but scowl. "Damn it," he whispered in frustration, trying harder to free himself. He looked up just in time to see Omegamon Zwart look over. Their eyes locked tensely.

However, Omegamon Zwart bypassed him and followed DarkKnightmon to the World Tree. Duftmon sneered and looked forwards. Gazing deep into the forest, he could hear the sounds of an army growing closer, and he could begin to see their ranks approaching in the distance. On the other sides of the two walls, he could hear the sounds of more earth and outcropping shooting up from the ground, as well as the pained cries from of the soldiers. The tactician sneered and wrenched his right arm loose from one of the coils. He clutched the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi and raised his arm up.

"Aussterben!" he exclaimed. He slashed the rapier down along the rocky coils, unleashing an arc of energy from the sword's tip. The arc tore through the rocky monolith and caused it to collapse around him, freeing him from its hold.

Duftmon growled and flew out of the crumbling mass of stone, ascending up into the sky. He raised his sword again and the forward-pointing crossguard of the Shoumetsu no Tsurugi suddenly bent so that it pointed backwards, becoming the Hakai no Tsurugi. Duftmon pointed the rapier at Dorbickmon, and the tip began to swell with dark energy.

"Ernste Welle!" Duftmon spoke, unleashing a pillar of violet power from his sword. The surge of explosive energy tore through the sky and descended towards the dragon man.

Dorbickmon saw the beam rush towards him. He grunted and was forced to rip the Tyrant Collbrande from the ground, letting the blazing sword grow to four times his height. He thrust the blade forwards against the dark beam, and the two held against one another for a few seconds before forcing the other to split apart in a burst of flames and energy.

Duftmon didn't wait around. He swerved one eighty degrees and began shooting through the sky after DarkKnightmon and the others.

Dorbickmon glanced past the wafts of embers and smoke. He saw Duftmon give pursuit and he let his sword of flames shrink to its regular size. "Hey! Dog!" he called out to MirageGaogamon with a booming voice. MirageGaogamon bristled and looked over his shoulder. Dorbickmon grinned and pointed at Duftmon. "Make yourself useful and chase the cat!"

MirageGaogamon narrowed his eyes and glanced at DarkKnightmon. "I'll deal with him."

"Please," DarkKnightmon said. As MirageGaogamon disappeared in a flash of blue, he continued towards the World Tree with Omegamon Zwart and Imperialdramon.

Duftmon sneered as MirageGaogamon's afterimage vanished in front of him. He realized that the wolf Digimon was going to keep him from reaching DarkKnightmon. He also took into account MirageGaogamon's speed. Before he could respond, MirageGaogamon crashed into his side and tackled him into the stone wall beside the Royal Knights' right flank.

MiragaGaogamon then kicked off and sped upwards into the air. Duftmon winced and pulled himself from the wall, flapping his aching wings. The leopard knight glanced up to see where MirageGaogamon had gone. Next, he glanced over to his right, towards the forest. The army of mercenaries had arrived. Digimon, big and small, champion to mega, piled out of the forest. They charged around the outer edges of the wall to attack the Royal Knights forces, which were still separated from the middle lane.

"Come on, guys!" Vikemon shouted, passing Dorbickmon as he charged the Royal Knights' left flank with his Valancers. "Kick ass! There're huge bags of cash waiting for us after this battle!"

"Are we allowed to kill any of 'em boss?" one of his mercenaries asked.

"DarkKnightmon said we can if we have to. So if they don't go down easy, make 'em data!" Vikemon responded, barrelling towards the formation of Strike Forces with his dual morning stars.

"Even the Royal Knights?!" another shouted.

"If you have the digizoid balls to try!" Vikemon shouted with a berserker laugh before plowing into the Order's ranks and sending soldiers flying with a single swing of his arm.

Meanwhile, Beowolfmon charged the Royal Knights' right flank with the Licht Gruppe. "For the hope and light of the Digital World!" he cried out to his followers. He fired a salvo of several missiles from the cannon port on his left arm, and they flew towards the tight defence of the Shield Guards.

Both Vikemon and Beowolfmon's mercenary teams were backed up by a flood of other mercenaries. They were a team that DarkKnightmon recently hired: Kowloon Company. They were one of the largest and most notorious mercenary companies on the continent. It took DarkKnightmon a lot of haggling and insistent promises to get them to agree join him for a later payment. At this point, he had discarded his scruples about hiring Kowloon when he realized that their might was invaluable to his cause. Lately, more and more he justified discarding his morals by citing pragmatism, it seemed. As a result, he now secured waves of reinforcements that came pouring through the forests after the Valancers and Licht Gruppe.

Duftmon narrowed his eyes at the development and turned his head up to see the azure blur rushing through the morning sky towards him. MirageGaogamon rushed towards him, but, this time, Duftmon was ready. MirageGaogamon slashed his clawed gauntlet at the leopard knight.

Duftmon caught the gauntlet with his sword, which pressed between two of the bladed claws and held against him. He glared at MirageGaogamon with a look of disdain. "I don't have time for you, mongrel; I have _field tactics_ to execute!"

He drove his boot into MirageGaogamon's abdomen and kicked him away. He then slashed the Shoumatsu no Tsurugi downwards. "Aussterben!"

A dark arc of energy ripped from the sword slammed into MirageGaogamon, throwing him backwards with a jolt.

"Mode Change: Leopard Mode!" Duftmon spoke. He shifted into his Duftmon: Leopard Mode form and began running horizontally along the face of the nearby stone wall. The brown, four-legged feline then leapt from the wall onto a stone pillar jutting from the ground, and then down to the ground itself.

Duftmon: Leopard Mode glanced over his shoulder and saw the blur of MirageGaogamon zigzagging towards him. "See how you like this… Eroberung!" Duftmon swiped his tail out and released a multitude of energy mines into the sky. They floated to various places in the air in a staggered formation. MirageGaogamon moved sharply out of the way as he found himself heading straight towards one, but, in doing so, he inadvertently impacted his back against another mine behind him. The explosion pulsed against his back and threw him into another mine in front of him, creating another explosion that send him hurdling into a nearby outcropping.

As the stone spike split into two and MirageGaogamon fell towards the ground, Duftmon: Leopard Mode turned his nose up. "Hmph. Your speed isn't so favourable now, is it?"

MirageGaogamon caught himself before hitting the ground and began shooting towards Duftmon once again.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, DarkKnightmon and Omegamon Zwart approached the massive base of the World Tree. Ignoring the sounds of battle that came from out of sight, beyond the manufactured walls of rock, the two Digimon walked up to the thick trunk of the tree.<p>

"It didn't take them long to repair it," DarkKnightmon mused to himself as he stepped up to the bark with Imperialdramon Paladin Mode in tow. "But this time…"

He reached up and hoisted the bound body of Imperialdramon from off his shoulder, lifting him down and standing him against the World Tree's base. Imperialdramon raised his head weakly and leered at DarkKnightmon. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness since dawn broke, but now Imperialdramon was fully aware.

The blue dragon man felt a strong, numb feeling in his arms, body, wings, tail, and parts of his legs. He knew it wasn't from the chains, and it wasn't from the freezing energy that Omegamon Zwart had attacked him with. Instead, his scales felt warm and tingling, and his muscles felt as if they weren't his own. He couldn't move them at all; it felt as if most of his body was asleep. He released a weak, frustrated grunt. "Why am I so numb…?"

"Omegamon rubbed your body with weeping dragon flowers," DarkKnightmon explained. "Their pollen contains a strong paralyzing agent that only affects dragon Digimon."

Imperialdramon scoffed and glanced aside. "Then are these digizoid chains really necessary…?"

"I can never be too careful with you…" the dark knight responded matter-of-factly.

The founder of the Royal Knights raised his head and stared at DarkKnightmon beseechingly. "DarkKnightmon… Think about what you're doing right now…" he reasoned, forced to lean his chained body against the wooden trunk to keep himself standing. He looked into DarkKnightmon's eyes.

"I have done nothing _but_ think about this, Imperialdramon," DarkKnightmon responded in a cold, aloof voice. "Nothing you say will stop me. Not when I'm so close. All of this is necessary."

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode closed his eyes in disappointment. "_None_ of this is necessary…" he whispered.

DarkKnightmon turned away. "Hold him in place, Omegamon Zwart. Hard," he ordered.

The black form of Omegamon Zwart stepped up to Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and dropped his Garuru Arm and Grey Arm to the ground. He pressed his hands against Imperialdramon's chained body and held him firmly against the trunk.

Face to face with Omegamon Zwart, Imperialdramon looked into his hard, callous, red eyes. "Omegamon…" he spoke.

Omegamon Zwart's gaze hardened further. "What?"

"This isn't you…" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode told him in a soft voice. "It's not you at all…"

At this, Omegamon sneered. "What would _you_ know about _me_?" Omegamon Zwart asked him roughly, pressing against him harder. "You left years ago to do who _knows_ what! You've never been around, so what give _you_ the right to say that?"

"Come on… We're old friends, aren't we…? From long before the Royal Knights were formed," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode responded with a ghost of a grin. "Do you even remember that…?"

"I remember. All of it. You still left," Omegamon Zwart countered tersely. "For an old friend, you sure were quick to abandon us… me. …Just like Alphamon did."

"…Is that what you think?" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode asked, closing his eyes and bowing his head with a sad smile. "DarkKnightmon really did a number on you…"

"No," Omegamon Zwart responded, moving his face closer and glaring hard at Imperialdramon's. "He just opened my eyes… Before, I was too soft… too forgiving… I denied my own feelings for the sake of others. I put aside the pain and anger that I felt because it was expected of me. I was the faithful friend, after all..." His red eyes narrowed coldly. "When you left. When Alphamon lied to me. Do you think they hurt any less because I was kind, loyal, and understanding...?!"

The smile disappeared and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode opened his eyes. "Omegamon…" he spoke, affected by his words.

"Zwart. I'm a new Digimon now," he corrected succinctly.

"I didn't turn my back on you…" Imperialdramon explained to him. "The reasons I left after the Order was formed had nothing to do with you at all."

"'Nothing to do with me'?" Omegamon Zwart asked him, leering harder at him. "How can you possibly claim that?"

Imperialdramon weakly frowned. "What…?"

"Did you even _once_ think to talk to me about it? That, perhaps, I might not be okay with one of my closest friends leaving with hardly a trace?" the ebony paladin continued. "No, Imperialdramon. You just _assumed_ that I wouldn't mind. You didn't take my feelings into account at all. It was all about _your_ plans."

The winged warrior winced at this. "I…" He lowered his head, pulling his eyes down from Omegamon Zwart's challenging gaze. "…I didn't know you felt that way."

"Of course you didn't," Omegamon answered calmly. "You never thought to ask. None of you ever do… None except for DarkKnightmon."

As they spoke, DarkKnightmon opened up a long bag that he had carried with them.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode stared pensively at Omegamon's chest. "Even if what you're saying is true, DarkKnightmon's manipulating your feelings," he told him, looking up at him again.

"You mean like Alphamon did?" the black knight asked. "Though, I suppose you don't know what I mean, having been gone for so long."

DarkKnightmon couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at them.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode frowned. "Alphamon isn't like that. You know this…"

"I thought I did… None of us really knew him. …'The Lord of the Empty Seat'. 'The Aloof Hermit'. Those titles are fitting, considering how much he truly closes himself off to everyone. It went deeper than even I thought, and I was supposed to be one of his closest, most trusted friends," the black Omegamon explained. His gaze lowered. "But he was closed off to all but OuRyuumon."

"What are you talking about?" Imperialdramon asked him, pressing the back of his head against the World Tree.

"Did you think they were just childhood friends?" Omegamon Zwart questioned. "OuRyuumon's the one who he shares his heart with. Shares his bed with. All those years that I thought he trusted me… He didn't even tell me that secret. Apparently I wasn't even worth _that_ much to him."

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode was silent. DarkKnightmon, too, stood up and turned around in surprise and fascination. He contemplated Omegamon Zwart's words silently and carefully.

"…We all have the right to secrets," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode spoke, composing himself.

"Are you just saying that because you feel it's expected of you? Or because making excuses for him makes his lies easier to swallow?" the black knight asked. "Don't you feel anything, Imperialdramon?"

"He will in a moment," DarkKnightmon said, stepping forwards with two, long objects in his hands. "Focus on holding him. I'm afraid this will hurt, Imperialdramon."

Omegamon Zwart nodded and grabbed Imperialdramon by the chains, shoving him hard against the tree so only his toes touched the ground.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode glared at DarkKnightmon as he approached. "DarkKnigh—AHH!"

DarkKnightmon stabbed the Omega Blade into the middle of Imperialdramon's right wing, piercing it through and ripping an agonized bellow from the white knight's throat. The huge sword stabbed deep into the trunk of the World Tree, pinning the wing against the bark. Imperialdramon strained hard against the chains and Omegamon's hold in agony. The cannon port on his chest tried to open up but to no avail.

DarkKnightmon then walked around to the other side and thrust another, albeit regular, sword through Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's left wing and into the World Tree. A second shout escaped his mouth. Omegamon Zwart released him and Imperialdramon sagged forwards, although he was unable to fall due to being pinned up to the tree by the blades in his wings.

Imperialdramon panted hoarsely and sweat rolled down his blue scales. He raised his head weakly and glared at DarkKnightmon. His wings twitched and quivered at the sheer pain that flooded through them. His crimson blood matted their silver-white feathers and trickled down their scales to the wing tips. He had to keep himself backed against the tree and standing on his toes to keep the fabric of his wings from ripping anymore.

The sounds of battle echoed in the distance. The rumbles and shrieks of attacks and the clamor of weapons sounded out beyond the earth walls. DarkKnightmon stepped towards Imperialdramon so that he was directly in front of him. He raised his extended arm towards the bound knight and aimed one head of the Twin Spear at him. He eyed him coldly. "Omegamon Zwart. You may leave to join the battle. I won't force you to watch this."

A pained, angry hiss escaped Imperialdramon's tensed mouth. He darted his hardened, red eyes over to Omegamon Zwart. "Omegamon… You asked me if I felt anything about what you told me… Sure I did… but Alphamon's my friend. And so are _you_," he told him, a mixture of pain and emotion in his voice. "Do _you_ feel anything when you see this?"

Omegamon Zwart stared at him.

Wordlessly, he bent down and picked up his Grey Arm and Garuru Arm, placing them back on his arms. He turned away and began to walk away from him.

However, after a few steps, he stopped. Omegamon turned and looked over his shoulder at Imperialdramon, as if he was going to say something. He seemed like he was going to turn around, but he had second thoughts. He frowned and looked forwards again, seemingly conflicted. After a few, quiet seconds, Omegamon Zwart closed his eyes and shook his head before flying into the air.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's gaze softened as Omegamon flew away. He bowed his head sadly. After a moment, he slowly raised it to stare at DarkKnightmon. "So… this is it," he spoke with a short, ironic, mirthless laugh. "Are you really going to kill me, DarkKnightmon?

DarkKnightmon's hard expression didn't change. "You and the World Tree. In the same blast."

"I never thought it… would be you. Back when I created the Royal Knights, I never… could have guessed it would… turn out this way," he said between twinges of pain. "You had… such a good heart."

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and began to pump shadows into the tip of his spear as he charged up the attack. "It has to be done."

Imperialdramon eyed the Twin Spear as darkness poured through its shaft, causing it to brim with dark energy. He then looked up, into DarkKnightmon's eyes. "You act cold, but it's just a cover… You don't really want to do this, do you?"

"Of course I do," DarkKnightmon answered, a bit of strength in his normally level, deep voice. "You're as sentimental and optimistic as Alphamon if you think that I don't want to cut these binding chains tethering the Royal Knights. This faith… your ideals… They're both the symbols of the Order, as well as their greatest flaws. They hold the Order back. And losing you both will cause the Order to crumble irreparably. That's why I want to do this."

"So, do it," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode challenged him.

DarkKnightmon sneered and gripped the Twin Spear harder, preparing the attack. "Very well…"

"I don't think you can go through with it," the white knight replied.

"And what makes you think that?" DarkKnightmon retorted, the Twin Spear now trembling with the power of a massive attack.

"Because there's still goodness inside you, DarkKnightmon…" Imperialdramon spoke with a small smile.

DarkKnightmon glared and raised his spear to fire. The black and violet shadows began to drift from the tip of the Twin Spear as he prepared to launch the destructive beam.

He narrowed his gaze at the bound Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and was about to fire…

But he hesitated.

Before he could decide whether or not to go through with it, there was a chorus of cheers from the battlegrounds, as well as a decided amount of noise from behind them, to the south of the World Tree.

"The Royal Knights are here!" a scout shouted.

DarkKnightmon's eyes widened somewhat and he took a few steps away to try and look around the side of the World Tree.

The Royal Knights rushed along the sides of the World Tree, along with the rest of the Reconnaissance Squadron and the Strike Forces that were helping their search. At the same time as this, the stone wall to the left started to come crashing down at the far end, blasted down by some of the Strike Forces. Not long after, the Defence Forces, broke through the right wall and caused it to collapse in a heap of smoke. With these barriers down, the battles began to spill over into the previously unoccupied middle lane, with both flanks moving closer and closer together.

"Damn it," DarkKnightmon hissed. He spun his spear around and raised the opposite end towards the sky. The tip pulsed and shot a weaker beam high into the grey sky, piercing through some of the World Tree's branches in the process.

Alphamon, who was heading the charge of the reinforcements, lead them into the battle. "Charge up down the middle of the battlefield between those collapsed walls! Reinforce those flanks!" he ordered. As he flew forwards, he caught sight of the dark blast as he rounded the huge trunk of the World Tree. This drew his attention to DarkKnightmon. Alphamon stopped in his tracks when he saw Imperialdramon Paladin Mode chained and pinned against the tree. "Imperialdramon!" he exclaimed.

Alphamon glared and began to dive towards the two, the Seiken Gradalpha in one hand, and a Digitalize of Soul beam charging up in the other.

"You hesitated," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode said to DarkKnightmon. "I was right."

DarkKnightmon sneered and pointed the charged end of the Twin Spear back at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "I was waiting for an audience," he countered, making ready to fire.

Alphamon readied his blast as well. "Digitalize of- !"

Before he could fire at DarkKnightmon, Omegamon Zwart flew up, directly in front of him. He slashed the Grey Sword. Alphamon slashed his holy sword defensively, locking blades with the black warrior. "Omegamon…" he murmured. Alphamon glanced over his shoulder for help, and saw several of the Royal Knights moving to join the fray. "Sleipmon!" he yelled out. "Help Imperialdramon!"

Sleipmon turned and flew over, spotting DarkKnightmon and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode at the base of the tree. He flew past Alphamon and Omegamon Zwart as they struggled and raised his Muspellsheimr crossbow to line it up with his eye. When he was satisfied with his shot, he fired.

"Bifröst!"

An incandescent bolt of light from the crossbow launched and pierced through the air towards DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon, seeing the light shooting at him out of the corners of his eyes, fired before it could hit him. However, Sleipmon's attack was slightly faster. The bolt slammed into his right hand with remarkable accuracy, fracturing the back of his gauntlet and forcing the Twin Spear way out to the side as he fired.

DarkKnightmon's arm was forced across his chest from the impact, causing his spear to bend to the side even further than his arm. The Twin Spear fired an immense column of darkness, but it was wildly off target. The beam ripped along the edge of the World Tree's trunk, causing a deep trench in the wood, but it completely missed Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, and it didn't to the damage to the tree that he intended.

The dark knight scoffed with irritation and looked up to see Sleipmon descending towards him. "Fool," he whispered, slashing the Twin Spear out again.

"Bifröst!" Sleipmon shouted again, firing another arrow from his crossbow at DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon jumped back in time to avoid being struck. The resplendent arrow landed in front of him and exploded in a burst of light. He counterattacked by raising his spear and unleashing a dark beam towards Sleipmon.

Sleipmon continued on, even as the consuming stream of shadows hurdled towards him. He raised the Niflheimr shield up in front of him, bracing himself for the attack. The dark energy slammed into his shield, but the immensely durable red digizoid held firm. He was steadfast against the attack, and the shadows only proved to strain his arm as the tendrils of darkness parted around the Niflheimr.

The attack dissipated and Sleipmon descended to the ground right in front of Imperialdramon. He held his shield in front of them defensively and aimed his crossbow at DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon sneered at this obstruction. He glanced over his shoulder to see how the battle was progressing. The Royal Knights' reinforcements were pouring into the middle patch of the field, and the battle was spreading into it was well. He began to wonder if his signal worked. He looked ahead at Sleipmon and Imperialdramon. "_I'll have time for them later. Right now, I have to make sure the flow of the battle goes in our favour,_" he thought to himself.

He looked over his shoulder to the east of the World Tree. He could see the trees begin to shake and rattle, and the din of thunderous footsteps became an undertone to the clamour of battle.

A horde of dinosaur Digimon flooded out from the right flank, headed by Triceramon X at the front of the stampede. It was the Dune Troopers – or at least a splinter section of them. They were mercenaries from the Mesozoic Kingdom.

"_Good. They came,_" DarkKnightmon thought with a breath of relief at seeing his wave of reinforcements. With that notion, he jumped away before Sleipmon could fire another arrow. He sprinted across the field as the Royal Knights' reinforcements closed in on him from both sides. He slashed his spear along them as he went, and plowed through anybody who got in his way.

Sleipmon sneered and turned away from him, towards Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "Sir Imperialdramon Paladin Mode," he said with concern, still on a formal basis with him as he had only met him once before. He eyed the bloody, trembling wings still pinned to the tree by the two swords.

Imperialdramon raised his bowed head a little. "Just 'Imperialdramon', Sleipmon…" he told him with a very faint, lighthearted look in his eyes.

"I'll get you down from there," Sleipmon assured him, approaching the Omega Blade jutting out of the tree.

"That would be nice of you…" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode replied.

Sleipmon reached out and placed his left hand on the Omega Blade gently, careful not to move it and unnecessarily cause Imperialdramon any pain. He then extended his right hand and took hold of the hilt of the other sword that dug into Imperialdramon's left wing. "I'll try to make this quick," he explained. Upon seeing the white knight nod, Sleipmon dug his six hooves into the grass and readied himself to pull strongly. When he was happy with his grip and foothold, he pulled the swords out sharply.

As Sleipmon ripped the blades from the bark and Imperialdramon's wings, Imperialdramon let out a hoarse gasp of pain and he collapsed to his knees, freed from their hold. He doubled over and panted, his wings tensing and furling up. Sleipmon caught himself from stumbling back from the pull and looked down at the Royal Knights' founder with a wince. "I'm sorry about that. Are you alright?" he asked.

Imperialdramon gave a short nod. "Thanks…"

Sleipmon nodded and dropped both blades to the ground. He approached the dragon man and bent down to see if he could undo the chains, but he wasn't sure where to start. They were chrome digizoid and sealed by a lock. At the same time, his attention was drawn towards the pack of dinosaurs charging towards the battlefield from the west. He grimaced uncertainly and looked at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "I'm… not sure that—"

"I'll be fine," Imperialdramon insisted, already realizing the dilemma. "Just do what you need to do."

Sleipmon nodded again and turned towards the right. "I'll protect this approach from those flankers." He raised his left arm and aimed the Muspellsheimr at them. "And you and the World Tree along with it."

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode looked up with a grin, despite his obvious pain. "Okay. If you need me to nudge them with my wings, just say so…"

* * *

><p>"Grey Sword!"<p>

Omegamon Zwart's blade burst with fire and descended on Alphamon. Alphamon sneered and blocked the sword with his Seiken Gradalpha, causing the blade of light to waver and intensify.

"Omegamon, stop this!" Alphamon told him, grunting and pushing back against his sword.

Omegamon Zwart merely narrowed his eyes and pulled the Grey Sword away, instead, bringing up his Garuru Cannon and aiming it at Alphamon. "Garuru Cannon!"

Alphamon grunted and raised his left hand. "Digitalize of Soul!"

The two attacks fired right into one another and exploded, throwing each combatant back. Alphamon winced when his back collided with the trunk of the World Tree. It didn't take long for him to recover, but the same was true for Omegamon, who was already rushing him with his Grey Sword.

Alphamon kicked off the trunk and flew to the side, dodging the slash, which ended with the Grey Sword hacking deep into the tree, drawing glowing sap from within it. Omegamon Zwart winced and pulled his sword from the wood, racing after Alphamon aggressively.

"Just listen to me, Omegamon! Let me talk to you!" Alphamon insisted. Omegamon Zwart ignored Alphamon as he rushed towards him. He closed in on him quickly, poising the Grey Sword back. With a frustrated sneer, Alphamon outstretched his palm. "Digitalize of Soul!"

An emerald flash burst from his hand and crashed into Omegamon Zwart's chest plate, just enough to throw him back through the air.

Omegamon Zwart stopped himself in the air and raised his cannon immediately, swiftly getting Alphamon in his sights.

"Garuru Cann—" Omegamon suddenly stopped and turned his head, looking at something off to the side with a look of shock.

"Sorry, Megz!" Dynasmon said, diving in and slamming his massive fist into Omegamon Zwart's face. Omegamon Zwart released a shout of pain as he was pummelled backwards.

Alphamon lowered his sword slightly and looked at Dynasmon with surprise. "Dynasmon…" he said with a touch of gratefulness in his voice.

Dynasmon turned and looked over his shoulder at Alphamon. "…I've still got your back, Alphamon," he assured him.

Alphamon smiled. "I never doubted that for a moment," he insisted.

A half grin formed on Dynasmon's face. "Someone has to save your butt on a regular basis," he said. However, Dynasmon grew serious again and looked over at Omegamon Zwart. "Want help with him?"

"No, thank you… I think this is something I need to do alone," Alphamon said. He paused and glanced down for a second before looking back at Dynasmon. "But you'll be the first one I come to if I do."

Dynasmon nodded. "Okay… I'll go bail out Duftmon," he said, looking over to where Duftmon was fighting MirageGaogamon.

"Be safe," Alphamon told him, flying past the dragon to engage Omegamon Zwart. Omegamon Zwart recovered and met Alphamon in a dazzling clash of blades.

"You too…" Dynasmon spoke quietly, eyeing them before shooting off, up the battlefield. As he flew through the cluttered sky, he glanced to the side and noticed the Dune Troopers coming in closer from the right flank. Duftmon would be pivotal in coming up with counter-tactics.

Ahead of him, Duftmon: Leopard Mode leapt off of a pillar of rock just before it shattered, destroyed by MirageGaogamon's Double Crescent Mirage attack. He bounded through the air, swerved sharply to fly towards the blue warrior. "Blockade!" he spoke, rushing at MirageGaogamon.

"Gale Claw!" MirageGaogamon countered, going to meet his attack. The two passed by each other, nicking the other with their blades in a burst of sparks. They then turned around and clashed again, and then again.

On the third pass, MirageGaogamon spun around while flying and aimed the cannon in his chest. The wolf-like jaws opened up and energy began to gather within its maw. "Full Moon Blaster!"

Right as MirageGaogamon began to fire, he felt something linger behind him. Suddenly, Dynasmon came up around him, moving up and hooking his shoulders back in a powerful restrictive hold. Dynasmon then swung MirageGaogamon to the side and forced him to fire at the charging Dune Troopers.

MirageGaogamon growled and immediately cut off his attack after it fired, so only a small portion of the beam slammed into their ranks.

"Once a traitor, always a traitor, eh, MirageGaogamon?" Dynasmon said to him.

"Dynasmon…" MirageGaogamon muttered. He swung his lower body up and then lashed his foot backwards, kicking Dynasmon's chest hard enough to make him let go.

Dynasmon winced a bit and released him. He flapped his large wings and flew back, aiming his hands. "Dragon's Roar!" Wind and electricity surged from the gems in his palms and exploded on contact with MirageGaogamon's back, throwing him to the ground below.

The white and purple Royal Knight turned towards Duftmon: Leopard Mode. "You're welcome, Duftmon."

Duftmon mode changed back into his usual humanoid form and flew over to Dynasmon. "I had it under control."

"Yeah, well, now maybe you can do something about that," Dynasmon said, nodding over to the Dune Troopers as they fast approached the Royal Knights' right flank.

Duftmon nodded, his mind working quickly. He then began scanning the battlefield. Sleipmon was at the base of the World Tree, protecting it and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode while firing at the Dune Troopers. Examon was flying high in the air, also sniping at the wave of dinosaur reinforcements, as well as the mercenaries who weren't in the thick of the fighting. Magnamon was with the Strike Forces on the left, firing into the mercenaries' ground troops, while UlforceVeedramon fought their aerial forces. RhodoKnightmon was busy in the thick of the fighting against the Kowloon mercenaries, while Dukemon flew on Grani's back, firing from above until the fighting got too thick. Alphamon was occupied with Omegamon Zwart. This left, Craniamon, who seemed to be drifting from one part of the battlefield to another, taking down large opponents.

"Craniamon!" Duftmon called out to him. "Deal with MirageGaogamon!"

Craniamon turned around and looked up at Duftmon, and then down to locate MirageGaogamon. He gave a short nod and dashed over to the recovering warrior. He lunged high into the air and slashed the Claiohm Solais down on him mightily. MirageGaogamon's eyes widened and he had to use his speed to dodge it, although part of his cape was cleaved off in the process. Craniamon then whipped the other end of his double-headed spear up, slashing the blade up MirageGaogamon's armour and knocking him backwards.

With MirageGaogamon now occupied, Duftmon turned to Dynasmon. "I need you to go out on the flank to meet those dinosaur Digimon before they tear into the Defence Forces. I require time to reorganize the battle formations to account for those reinforcements. Can you handle them?"

Dynasmon grinned confidently. "Who do you think you're talking to?" he asked him.

"A reckless fool," Duftmon replied. "Now, go. Give me as much time as possible."

Dynasmon nodded and began to fly out to the east. After several seconds of flying, he stopped and turned around. "This is where you call after me and say, 'Be careful!'!" Dynasmon said with a wider grin.

Duftmon glanced over with a raised eyebrow. "…Yes, yes," he muttered with a dismissive wave. He then flew off in the air to organize the troops.

The dragon man chuckled and turned around, beginning to fly easy again. As he flew, he unleashed a beam from his left palm that swallowed up a Piccolomon from the Licht Gruppe. He dove down and landed in an empty part of the clearing, standing between the charging Dune Troopers and the Defence Forces, who were currently fighting the Licht Gruppe and Kowloon Company that came from the north.

Dynasmon looked ahead of him with hard eyes. He hadn't been able to count before, but the Dune Trooper reinforcements numbered at least a hundred. Being mercenaries from the Mesozoic Kingdom, they were mostly all big, bulky dinosaurs.

The Dune Troopers charged across the huge clearing in a daunting stampede. The flowers and grass were trampled underfoot, and the ground trembled and shuddered at the sheer weight of their stomping. Many Digimon would falter, being forced to stand up to a throng of charging dinosaurs. However, Dynasmon was steadfast. He glared his red, adrenaline-filled eyes at the charging horde. The dinosaur Digimon roared and snarled as they stampeded, intent on breaking right through the Royal Knights' ranks.

Dynasmon closed his eyes and his form began to glow blue as draconic energy drifted up from his body. The aura began to take shape in the form of a giant wyvern, which drifted up from Dynasmon's body and flapped his broad wings. Wyvern growled lowly and glared his three eyes at the ferocious charge.

"Breath… of… Wyvern!" Dynasmon shouted, his eyes snapping open glaring wildly.

Wyvern screeched deeply and flapped his wings rapidly, taking off and rushing the horde of dinosaur Digimon. The white, incandescent dragon dove down and swept across the Dune Troopers' ranks. A massive explosion erupted in the middle of the charge, sending energy, dinosaurs, and fractured data blasting up in an outwards burst. The detonation of draconic energy created a massive crater in the clearing and sent a powerful shockwave tearing through the ground.

The savage attack took out nearly twenty percent of the Dune Troopers, but they kept charging. The gap in their ranks filled in as more dinosaur Digimon took the places of the ones that were deleted.

A squadron of Pteramon flying over the charging dinosaurs began to pivot their bodies down towards Dynasmon. "Side Winder!" they called out. A multitude of missiles from under their armoured wings began to hiss before launching into the air. Countless missiles steamed through the air and descended on Dynasmon while he was still recovering from using the Breath of Wyvern attack.

Dynasmon grunted and raised his arms to brace himself from the incoming explosions.

"Jishin! Kaminari! Kaji! Oyaji!" A strong voice shouted from nearby, each word punctuated emphatically.

Suddenly, a yellow aura dragon ripped through the air, sweeping through the descending missiles and detonating them in mid air before they could hit Dynasmon. Dynasmon looked up with shock. "What the hell…? I recognize that thing…"

The yellow dragon then turned and soared towards the Pteramon, enveloping them in his destructive energy. One of the Pteramon, who turned to flee the dragon was promptly thrown out of the sky by the creature's claws. Then, it struck down violently with his fists on several of the charging dinosaur Digimon. The dragon then dissipated into wafts of energy and began to drift back across the clearing to where it came from.

"I have to say, Royal Knight, you've impressed me," the voice said from beside him.

Dynasmon turned his head with surprise. Standing next to him was Gankoomon, who stood, facing the approaching stampede with folded arms. Hinukamui gathered back on his shoulders after returning from his attack, and looked over at Dynasmon.

"Gankoomon?" he asked, blinking.

"Bull-face," Gankoomon responded with a grin. "You may be an ass, but you've got balls of chrome digizoid to stand up to these guys by yourself. Like I said, I'm impressed."

"That's high praise coming from the guy who was tearing us a new one a few days ago," Dynasmon said, giving him a sideways glance.

"I'm an honest guy," Gankoomon answered with a shrug. "You were pretentious dicks before. Now you're pretentious dicks that I'm beginning to respect."

"Thanks, I think," Dynasmon answered, though managing a smirk of his own. "And you're here because…?"

"I did say that I was coming back," the red-haired warrior explained. "Besides, it looks like you could use some help against these desert lizards."

"Nah, I've got it covered," Dynasmon said, once again summoning Wyvern from his body. Wyvern rose into the air, flapping his wings and glancing over at Hinukamui.

Hinukamui eyed Wyvern competitively and rose from Gankoomon's back to match his size, making a point to puff his aura chest out. Gankoomon grinned and looked at Dynasmon. "Tough luck. You're stuck with me, Bull-face."

"That's 'Dynasmon', loud mouth," Dynasmon responded as he directed Wyvern to attack. "And if you find you can't keep up, I think I saw some Champion-level Digimon over that way who might be closer to your skill level. Don't worry; I won't make fun of you."

Gankoomon laughed as Hinukamui got ready to attack too. "Let me show you what a real man can do."

"Breath of Wyvern!"

"Jishin! Kaminari! Kaji! Oyaji!"

Both Wyvern and Hinukamui flew forwards, side-by-side, soaring at the Dune Troopers at the mass of reptiles closed in on them. The two aura dragons nudged each other before both splitting off and descending on the army of mercenaries. Two massive explosions formed into one, sending a blinding light spilling out from the point of impact. The combined power was enough to send even some of the heaviest of the dinosaur Digimon flying into the air and bursting into data.

Triceramon X, the leader of that group of Dune Troopers, growled as heat, power, and dirt washed over him and his remaining mercenaries. "Damn it! Keep charging! We're almost there!" he ordered, dashing to the center to fill the gap. He was making a direct run for Dynasmon and Gankoomon.

Dynasmon and Gankoomon both glanced at each other and burst into a run, eager to meet the Triceramon X's charge. As the stampede closed in on them, they both lunged at Triceramon X.

"Tekken Seisai!" Gankoomon shouted, his fists burning with energy.

They rushed forwards and each planted a fist into the Triceramon X's armoured face, stopping his full charge in his tracks. When Triceramon X stumbled back with a cry, the two warriors both turned towards the other mercenaries.

"Dragon's Roar!" Dynasmon shouted, firing a spiral blast of ice and earth aura at the nearby dinosaurs.

"Chabudai Gaeshi!" Gankoomon yelled. He reached into the ground with his hand, causing it to suddenly become hard. He then ripped up a large slab of solid ground that had the consistency of chrome digizoid and held it over his head like it was a table. Dynasmon raised a curious brow at the sight and watched as Gankoomon threw it mightily at the mercenaries. The chunk of earth slammed into them and sent them flying.

"That's new," Dynasmon mused.

Gankoomon shot a smirk at him. "Impressed? Well, keep watching, Royal Knight," he told him, rushing towards their enemies.

"Yeah. I would, but I'll be a little busy showing you up," Dynasmon replied, grabbing Triceramon X by his horns and using his enormous strength to lift the dinosaur over his head. He then swung the massive dinosaur around and flung him into his fellow mercenaries.

"We'll see…" Gankoomon said, a competitive glint in his visor.

The two then continued in their melee with the Dune Troopers, punching and blasting away.

* * *

><p>Dorbickmon watched from the tree line as the battle unfolded in front of him. The Digimon the Royal Knights' Order and the mercenaries railed against each other in a bitter, bloody battle. He would slash a soldier away whenever they tried to rush him, but he wasn't actively partaking in the battle very much.<p>

He was still shaken by what happened between him and Examon. He began to care less about this battle; Examon wasn't there and he wasn't getting any payment out of this like the other mercenaries.

However, he suddenly stepped forwards when he saw the Royal Knights arrive with their reinforcements. He watched the grey, morning sky and the massive boughs of the World Tree carefully. As the Royal Knights came to the aid of their soldiers, Dorbickmon looked around at them alertly.

He then snarled and gripped the Tyrant Collbrande in his hand. He had spotted Examon in the sky, shooting with his lance-rifle hybrid. Upon seeing the draconic Royal Knight, Dorbickmon burst into a sprint.

"Burning the Dragon!" Dorbickmon yelled, dragging his fiery blade through the ground as he ran.

A flat pillar shot up among the Royal Knights' ranks, throwing several soldiers into the air. Then another, slightly higher pillar burst out of the ground behind it, followed by another and another, creating a staircase into the sky. Dorbickmon pulled his blade from the ground and bounded onto the first pillar. He then jumped onto the next pillar and continued on, lunging from column to column, until he reached the highest one. Dorbickmon leapt from the rock outcropping in a mighty jump.

Examon finished firing a laser from the Ambrosius straight into a collection of Licht Gruppe mercenaries. As the laser dissipated and the breath of energy wafted from the lance's tip, Examon turned around to investigate the noise he heard behind him. To his shock, he saw Dorbickmon lunging towards him. "Dorbick-?!"

Dorbickmon crashed into Examon, cutting at the armoured edge of his wing with the Tyrant Collbrande. He grabbed Examon by the snout and forced him into a free fall. Examon struggled with Dorbickmon in the air, trying to free the Ambrosius from being trapped between their armoured bodies. The Caledfwlch wings tried to flap powerfully, but at the awkward angle combined with Dorbickmon's added weight and struggling, they couldn't right Examon in time. Examon crashed into the ground on his back.

As Dorbickmon crashed down on top of him, Examon's horns dug into the ground and blood shot out of his nostrils. Luckily for him, his wings cushioned him from the worst of the fall, but he still felt a sharp pain in his head and face. Examon lashed his arm out and pushed Dorbickmon's hand from his snout and shoved back against Dorbickmon's superior weight.

Dorbickmon resisted, pushing Examon back into the ground with an angry snarl. "You bastard…" he growled at him, glaring down at the dragon knight beneath him. "What are you doing to me?! You're messing with my damn head!"

Examon grunted and swung the Ambrosius out, using it to throw Dorbickmon off of him. He pulled himself to his feet quickly, using his tail to steady himself and ignoring the trickle of blood down the front of his snout. "What…?" he asked him.

"Nothing! Just shut your mouth, Examon," Dorbickmon told him, holding the Tyrant Collbrande vertically in front of him. "This time, we're finishing this for good. No distractions."

Examon winced and lifted the Ambrosius slowly. "Dorbickmon… I know you don't really—"

"Shut up and fight me!" Dorbickmon shouted, dashing forwards and swiping his fiery blade down.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, another showdown took place beneath the umbrella-like branches of the World Tree. Alphamon and Omegamon Zwart faced off in a bitter duel.<p>

Omegamon Zwart launched a powerful blast from his cannon. The orb sailed towards Alphamon, but the leader of the Royal Knights quickly slashed the icy burst aside with the Seiken Gradalpha sword. Mist and steam wisped in front of him as he brought the sword of light out to the side. Alphamon gazed across the airspace at Omegamon with a determined look in his eyes.

"Omegamon..." he said.

"Would you stop it already?" Omegamon Zwart hissed, flying towards him. "It's becoming pathetic. I have had enough of your and Imperialdramon's excuses."

"I don't care," Alphamon replied, swerving through the sky towards his friend. "I'm your friend so it's my duty to get through to you!"

Omegamon Zwart scoffed at the notion. He closed in on Alphamon and hacked his blade down towards the knight.

Alphamon tore his sword up and blocked the Grey Sword from hitting him. "I'll defeat you, Omegamon, if that's what it takes. I'll bring you down," he told him, though the pain was obvious in his words. He stared into Omegamon Zwart's eyes, his sword shimmering with light as it held against Omegamon Zwart's sword.

"If you think you can," Omegamon Zwart responded icily. He brought the Garuru Cannon up to Alphamon's chest at point blank range.

Alphamon grabbed hold of the cannon and forced Omegamon's arm out to the side. The cannon fired and the blast whizzed past Alphamon's wing, slamming into a branch of the World Tree. The branch shattered and crashed to the ground heavily. Omegamon Zwart sneered and drove his black knee into Alphamon's gut. Alphamon winced and doubled over, but he retaliated with a mighty swing of his arm. He cracked his gauntleted knuckles across Omegamon's face.

Omegamon grimaced and staggered to the side from the painful blow. Despite this, he retaliated by smashing the rim of the Garuru Cannon across Alphamon's face. As Alphamon recoiled in shooting pain, Omegamon took the opportunity to fire another large blast from his cannon straight into Alphamon's chest. The Lord of the Empty Seat let out a garbled yell as the sub zero energy ripped against his armour. Tiny fissures formed in Alphamon's chest plate.

"I am stronger than before in this form, Alphamon," Omegamon Zwart told him, eyeing Alphamon lowly. "I defeated Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. You can't win."

"That's what you think…" Alphamon said, panting a bit as the ice melted off his armour. He raised his sword and pointed it at Omegamon Zwart. "You're not strong like that, Omegamon. Is using the powers of evil as might really strength? The old you wouldn't think so."

"What powers of evil?" Omegamon Zwart responded, narrowing his eyes and stabbing his Grey Sword at Alphamon's chest. "Don't preach at me!"

Alphamon manoeuvred his wings to swerve to the side and avoid the stab. With a grimace, he reluctantly swept the Seiken Gradalpha down Omegamon Zwart's left arm, cutting into his black armour and burning across his bicep. Omegamon Zwart winced with pain and shot the Garuru Cannon around to fire at Alphamon. The blast, hastily aimed, slammed into Alphamon's shin.

A shock of pain shot up Alphamon's leg. With a pained breath, he aimed his left palm with Omegamon's chest. "Digitalize of Soul!" His hand exploded with emerald energy and slammed into Omegamon's chest.

The dark knight was thrown away from Alphamon by the blast. Omegamon Zwart winced and glanced down at his chest, noticing visible damage in his armour as well. Wafts of black energy seemed to permeate the cracks.

"DarkKnightmon corrupted you, Omegamon!" Alphamon attempted to explain. "He used the negative energies of the Dark Area to make you that way!"

"So what if he did?" Omegamon Zwart countered. "I prefer it this way. No longer will my nature be taken advantage of."

"You aren't thinking clearly, Omegamon. That… darkness… is distorting your emotions – it's bringing out the worst in you!"

"Doesn't that mean it was always there to begin with?" Omegamon reasoned, narrowing his sanguine eyes.

"They say the greatest good is susceptible to the greatest evil," Alphamon replied, frowning hard. He gripped the Seiken Gradalpha tightly in his hand. "You aren't like this, Omegamon! We all have negative feelings, sure, but the dark data has taken you over! You aren't in control, even if you feel like you are!"

"I'm more in control than I ever was," Omegamon Zwart argued. "I'm free to remove you from my life, Alphamon." He raised his Garuru Arm. "Garuru Cannon!" The black knight began pumping shot after shot from his cannon towards Alphamon.

Alphamon sneered and flew out of the way to dodge one shot, and then swiftly swerved to avoid another and another. One of the blasts clipped his wing and another glanced across his leg, turning the metal frigid. Alphamon narrowed his eyes and unleashed several blasts from his palm towards Omegamon Zwart.

Omegamon Zwart began to evade his counterattack as well, doing his best to dodge the powerful streaks of green light. He blocked one well placed shot with the side of Grey Sword, causing it to splay out into several smaller greens that burned across the edges of his armour and cape. He then blocked another shot with the Grey Shield on his shoulder. He rushed Alphamon aggressively. "Grey Sword!"

"Seiken Gradalpha!" Alphamon countered, blitzing Omegamon in response.

Their blades clashed in a burst of light strong enough to send a shockwave rippling out.

"Why don't you use your Alpha inForce…?" Omegamon Zwart challenged him

"Because then I won't be able to talk to you," Alphamon responded.

"Talking is useless," he countered. "I know… what I'm doing."

"You're not… in control at all, Omegamon," Alphamon told him though strained growl as he held against Omegamon Zwart's mighty attack.

"More in control than… when I was your friend…" Omegamon Zwart argued, pushing hard against the holy blade.

"That isn't true…" Alphamon responded, grunting with effort. "I never took you for granted, Omegamon!"

"Then what _did_ you take me for?!" Omegamon asked him, his anger deepening and his strength increasing. "Someone who trusted you but couldn't be trusted himself?! Or maybe a potential back up for when things went badly with OuRyuumon… You took me for those, didn't you?!"

Alphamon grimaced at his words. "I… I'm sorry about that," he mumbled to him with shame and regret gracing his tone.

Omegamon Zwart growled and swung his Grey Sword around, pulling it away from the hold and slashing it down Alphamon's left arm. Alphamon let out a snarl of agony as the blade ripped through his armour and tore across his flesh. Drops of crimson blood cascaded out when the blade exited along Alphamon's forearm.

With rage, Alphamon lashed out with his sword, driving the glowing hilt of his sword and his fist into the unarmoured part of Omegamon Zwart's abdomen. The corrupted knight let out an angry cry when the light burned through the fabric and into his chest.

Omegamon Zwart raised his Garuru Cannon and fired it into Alphamon's chest at point blank range. The icy orb drilled into his chest armour, tearing away large pieces of metal and blasting into his chest.

Alphamon's eyes widened with pain and he was pushed back in the sky. He looked down the muzzle of the Garuru Cannon and saw that more white-blue energy was forming in the throat of the cannon. Despite the numb pain in his form, Alphamon acted decisively. He swung the Seiken Gradalpha down and cleaved straight through the snout of the Garuru Cannon, burning through the metal just above Omegamon's finger tips. The cannon split in two, but Omegamon Zwart's hand remained intact.

Omegamon Zwart reacted with shock and silent rage when he saw that his Garuru Cannon had been destroyed. "…Alphamon!" he shouted, drilling his now-free fist into Alphamon's face.

Despite the pang of blood in his mouth, Alphamon took the attack, and raised his wounded arm to grab hold of Omegamon's wrist. He then swung his sword out again and slammed it into the Grey Sword to keep it from attacking him. Alphamon took the opportunity to stare at Omegamon. "Omegamon… You're still in there somewhere. I know you are!"

Omegamon Zwart glared at him. "Let go of me…"

"You need to break free…" Alphamon continued, ignoring his words and struggle of protest.

Omegamon winced and wrenched his left arm free from Alphamon. He raised it up and slashed it down Alphamon's chest viciously. The blade cleaved through what remained of his fractured chest armour and proceeded to slice a long gash diagonally down Alphamon's chest.

"You don't know anything!" Omegamon Zwart shouted, his red eyes burning with fury.

A tight, agonized grimace formed on Alphamon's face as blood trickled down his chest. However, he fought through it and grabbed hold on Omegamon's sword arm, holding it tightly so that he wouldn't slash him again. He held Omegamon's wrists tightly and forced his arms out.

"I know _you_, Omegamon!" Alphamon shouted desperately.

"You like to think you do!" the black Omegamon countered vehemently. "You think you can see into everybody's souls, but you only see what you want to see! You want everybody to fill a convenient role for you! 'Never mind Omegamon. He'll always be there no matter what I do…' That's what you always believed!"

"That isn't true…" Alphamon responded, narrowing his eyes. "…If I really took you for granted, then why didn't you stand up and say something!?"

"Because I was weak!"

He gripped Omegamon's wrists tighter. "I don't believe you, Omegamon! You didn't help me and support me because I expected it of you! It wasn't because you were weak! You stood by my side because you and I are friends! _That's_ the reason why I'm standing beside _you now_, damn it!" He leaned his face towards Omegamon Zwart and locked eyes with him intensely. "I care about you! And if you really don't understand that, then you aren't Omegamon!"

Omegamon's eyes widened at those passionate words. However, his look of shock soon morphed into a cold, angry leer. "You're wasting… your time."

Alphamon's gaze hardened. "No, I'm not. You know I'm right. And I know that you're in there…" he told him resolutely. "I remember, Omegamon… You wouldn't fire on the World Tree before. You remembered what it meant to be a Royal Knight!"

Omegamon Zwart was silent.

"'I pledge my blood… my data… my heart… and my soul to the betterment of the Digital World and those who reside in it…'" Alphamon begun, staring into Omegamon's eyes.

Omegamon looked at him with shock.

Alphamon kept up the firm stare and continued. "'…to Yggdrasil, and, most of all…" He gripped Omegamon's wrists a bit more softly. "'…to each other.'"

Omegamon Zwart grimaced with pain and confusion and emotion. "'I am a Royal Knight… and this is my oath…'" he whispered, finishing the pledge. Suddenly, he ripped his hands away and grabbed his forehead with his right hand. "Be quiet! Enough!" he shouted as if trying to repress something inside of himself.

He slashed the Grey Sword out towards Alphamon's face. Alphamon raised his hand and calmly caught it in his palm just before it could strike his helmet, emerald power emanating from his hand to cushion his hand from the blade.

"Omegamon… I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about OuRyuumon and I."

Omegamon Zwart winced as he glared at Alphamon. He pulled his Grey Sword back.

"…I was scared," Alphamon admitted, his gaze softening. "Not of how you would react. Not because I thought you would tell the others… I was scared because I waited for so long. At first, when I became involved with OuRyuumon, yes, I didn't want to tell anybody. …Even you. But it was because of me – my fears, my insecurities – not because of you or any of the others. I was still coming to terms with being in love with one of my closest friends…"

Alphamon closed his eyes. "I put off telling you. I had always planned to, but… the longer that I waited, the harder it became to do. And the longer that I waited, the worse I knew it would sound, precisely because I didn't tell you for so long. It was like a self-fulfilling prophecy." Alphamon then opened his eyes and grinned sadly. "It _was_ a self-fulfilling prophecy… Baronmon from Auguria told me that if I didn't tell you the truth, I would lose you. …That was precisely what happened. I lost you… And that was the one thing that I wanted to prevent from the very beginning."

Omegamon Zwart grimaced and lowered his blade. "Alphamon…"

"I have never felt worse than I did when I realized how much I hurt you…" Alphamon explained, his eyes moistening with emotion. "I'm… so sorry."

Omegamon Zwart's gaze hardened and he began to poise the Grey Sword again. He contemplated stabbing Alphamon with it, but he suddenly had trouble doing so. In fact, the blade was trembling. "Damn… you… Why couldn't you have just said something before…?" he muttered, wincing with pain. "You're… weak…"

"Sometimes…" Alphamon admitted, staring at him. "And you know my weaknesses better than anybody. I take too much on my own shoulders and I don't let anybody else in… Does that sound right…?"

"Stubborn fool…" Omegamon added, rubbing his temples as his head and body ached.

"You make me stronger, Omegamon… You always have," Alphamon said to him. He moved forwards and placed his hand on Omegamon Zwart's armoured, black chest. "We love you, Omegamon. Come back to us."

Omegamon continued to rub his forehead with his palm over his face. As he did, a single tear trickled out from underneath it and dripped down from his hidden eyes.

Despite this, he began to slowly raise his Grey Sword. He pulled it back and aimed it with Alphamon's chest.

"It's… too late now…" Omegamon Zwart whispered, his eyes hidden by shadows. "I can't break free…"

He stabbed the Grey Sword forwards. The tip of blade embedded itself in Alphamon's armour.

As the blade dug into Alphamon's chest, he reached out and grabbed the nose horn of the Grey Sword and began to try and push it back out. Blood dripped from the wound and Alphamon felt immense pain tearing through his body, but he stubbornly resisted. "You… can…" Alphamon whispered hoarsely, pushing the blade back with trembling arms. He unleashed a snarl of agony and effort. "I can… save you…"

"You can't!" Omegamon Zwart said bitterly. "I'm filled with hate… darkness… I can still feel it, even though…"

"If there's an 'even though'… then there's still hope!" Alphamon insisted, pulling the Grey Sword out of his armour, the sharp tip dripping with his blood.

Omegamon Zwart's Grey Arm dropped limply to his side. He looked down hopelessly.

"I'll… purify you…" Alphamon said, reaching in front of him and forming an intricate circle between them. The Royal Knight reached in and pulled the Seiken Gradalpha out in a flash of holy light. "It's the only thing I can think of..."

Omegamon Zwart just looked up at him. He didn't resist.

"I'm sorry, Omegamon… This is going to hurt…" Alphamon told him apologetically. He pointed the Seiken Gradalpha at Omegamon Zwart and created another, larger magical symbol in the air. The circle was as big as the black warrior and its insides were filled with Digi-letters, marks, and several smaller circles.

Alphamon then moved behind Omegamon Zwart and created a second circle behind him. The corrupted knight watched as Alphamon continued to make another circle on his left, and a final one on his right side. Omegamon hovered, unmoving, surrounded by the magical, rotating sigils.

Omegamon Zwart lifted his head as Alphamon flew back in front of him. He stared the wounded knight in the eyes, looking through the glowing circle between them. "Do it… Before I lose myself again… I trust you…"

Alphamon's gaze softened and he slowly approached with his sword. "Just like I trust you, Omegamon…" he gently replied.

He gripped the Seiken Gradalpha in both hands and pulled it back behind his waist. As he angled the sword horizontally, he did his best to ignore the burning cuts and slashes on his body. "Seiken Gradalpha!" he shouted.

He stabbed the sword of light precisely into the center of the glowing circle in front of him. As soon as the blade pierces past the magical barrier, light began to surge out from the circle. The beams of light impacted the other three sigils around Omegamon Zwart and ricocheted off one another. Every time the light hit one of the circles, it reflected again and intensified, until Omegamon Zwart's whole body was encased a vertical beam of light.

The light burned into his form, affecting his data at its very core. Omegamon Zwart released a howl of agony as his body was enveloped in the burning, holy light. He felt the dark data rip away from his own data, causing a horrible pain flooding through his whole body as he was purified. The roar of torture and anguish began to lessen as the dark data was forcibly expelled from Omegamon Zwart's body.

It wounded Alphamon to hear the pained cry of his friend, but he held his ethereal blade in place regardless. He poured his energy into the purification process, concentrating the light that shone from the Seiken Gradalpha. The light continued to beam at Omegamon Zwart from every angle for fifteen more seconds before Alphamon carefully withdrew the sword of light from the circle before them.

The magical circles suddenly disappeared and the light began to fade away. Alphamon tried to see past the fading light to see if Omegamon was okay. He began to worry that the attempted purge of darkness might have been too much for his body to take.

The light dispersed and Omegamon hovered in the air before him. His body was smoking and exhausted. However… his body was white again. His Garuru Arm and Grey Arm were restored to their blue and orange hues. Omegamon floated in his place, looking like his old self again.

However, Omegamon faltered. His body began to drop towards the ground. Alphamon dismissed the Seiken Gradalpha in a flash of light and swooped down after him. The black knight reached out and caught the white one in his arms, holding him in a tight embrace as he lifted him up into the air.

"Alpha… mon…" Omegamon whispered exhaustedly. He leaned forwards against Alphamon's battle-worn and bloody body. "I'm sorry…" He closed his tearful, blue eyes and placed his face on Alphamon's metal shoulder plate.

"Me too," Alphamon whispered to him, gently rubbing his caped back. He pulled his head back and looked down at Omegamon. "Don't worry about it right now, though. You need to rest, my friend."

Omegamon nodded weakly and pulled away, although still too sore and shattered to fly on his own. Alphamon placed Omegamon's unharmed arm over his shoulder and began to fly him towards the base of the World Tree.

There, Sleipmon was still firing precise shots into enemy Digimon, incapacitating them as he defended Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and the World Tree. Alphamon poised his wings back and descended towards him.

"Sleipmon!" Alphamon hailed, so that the cavalier Digimon didn't mistake him for a flanking enemy.

Sleipmon fired a bolt from his crossbow and glanced over his shoulder. Upon seeing that Omegamon's regular form was restored, his purple eyes lit up with delight. However, he only allowed for that brief moment of happiness before turning forwards and firing at a Pegasusmon from the Licht Gruppe.

Alphamon landed gently beside Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. Once there, he gently set Omegamon down close to him. The black knight looked at Imperialdramon's wounded and chained form. "Are you okay, Imperialdramon?" he asked him with concern.

"Don't sweat it, Alphamon," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode insisted with a slight grin. "I'm pretty tough."

"Should I at least free you?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

"I'll be fine," Imperialdramon insisted. "The chains are pure chrome digizoid, so it'll take you several minutes, even with your sword. You should use that time aiding in the battle instead. I don't think I'd be able to stand, let alone fight, anyways. Not after the beating this one gave me." He nodded over to Omegamon with a soft grin.

Omegamon shut his eyes and looked away in shame.

"Very well… If you're sure," Alphamon said.

Sleipmon looked over at Alphamon and noticed all of the slashes in his armour, as well as the blood trickling down from some spots. "Should you be fighting in your condition?"

"I'll be okay, Sleipmon. Just protect them," Alphamon told him. He nodded at the group before turning around and flying into the air.

As Alphamon left to rejoin the fight, a silence overtook Omegamon and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode.

Despite his extreme disorientation and weakness from the purge, Omegamon still remembered all of the things that he did while he was Omegamon Zwart. This included attacking Imperialdramon and turning his back on him. He didn't feel worthy to be lying beside him.

A sensation suddenly tingled in his right arm. He opened his eyes and looked over at his Garuru Arm. To his surprise, Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's somewhat bloodied and numbed tail was curled around the muzzle of Omegamon's Garuru Cannon, squeezing it gently. He looked up at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode.

Imperialdramon smiled at him. "I'm glad you're back to normal, Omegamon…"

Omegamon was shocked at his forgiving words. "Imperialdramon… but…"

"We… both did things we regret…" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode told him. "Let's put it down to experience, okay?"

Omegamon closed his eyes and nodded. He was too weak to do anything else. "…Thank you. You're a very good friend, Imperialdramon."

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode smirked. "Don't get all sappy." He then nodded at the giant tree behind them. "…Seriously, I'm getting the World Tree's sap all over my wings here."

The white Royal Knight managed a small, faint smile at his words. He then looked into the distant battle, wishing that he could step in and try to make up for everything that had happened with him.

Those thoughts continued as the bloody battle stormed on.


	40. Chapter 29: The Light of Friendship

(Author's notes: Long chapter, but it's the climax. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 29: The Light of Friendship**

The Battle of the World Tree continued to rage. As the grey clouds pervaded the sky with a sense of foreboding, aerial Digimon filled it with the colourful streams of attacks. Explosions tore across the clearing and felled trees within the surrounding forest. A few stray attacks occasionally hit the World Tree, causing its massive branches to tremble and its evergreen leaves to fall. Yells, roars, and the sounds of battle echoed through the air.

There were now three 'zones' of battle. One was primarily between the Strike Forces and the Valancers, a second was between parts of the Defence Forces and the Licht Gruppe, and the third was between the rest of the Defence Forces and the Dune Troopers. The Royal Knights and their reinforcements supported these three areas of battle, as did Kowloon Company and DarkKnightmon's forces.

Energy, sparks, flames, blood, and data burst out at various points in the fierce battlefield.

Magnamon released a barrage of missiles from his shoulders into a crowd of Kowloon mercenaries, blowing them up in several golden detonations. He then swooped down and delivered a powerful Magnum Kick to an enemy Valkyrimon's face.

"How are you holding up, RhodoKnightmon?!" he called over, glancing over his shoulder.

RhodoKnightmon held his bladed ribbon in one of his hand while he readied the Pile Bunker in the other. "Just fine, Magna!" RhodoKnightmon responded, elegantly slashing his blade down a BlackMetalGreymon's chest. "Urgent Fear!" He extended his arm out to the side, so that the Pile Bunker pointed directly at a lunging Diaboromon. The Pile Bunker vibrated and pulsed, releasing a shock wave that decimated the Diaboromon instantly.

Magnamon released a concentrated gold beam from his armour into a DinoBeemon, felling the Digimon instantly. He frowned and flew up into the sky, inspecting the surrounding battle. He saw UlforceVeedramon aiding the Strike Forces out to the left.

The blue dragon knight sliced his Ulforce Sabres through the chest and cannon of a Z'dGarurumon. UlforceVeedramon then spun around and took off in the battlefield in a cobalt flash, making it hard for Magnamon to keep track of him. He was able to catch glimpses every so often, occasionally seeing him fire his 'Shining V Force' attack, but not much else. Magnamon then turned around to see how Dynasmon was doing. The dragon man seemed to be tearing through the brigade of dinosaur mercenaries alongside Gankoomon.

Not far off, Duftmon flew in the sky, directing the flow of battle while also participating from a range, firing various ranged attacks from his rapier. Every so often, Magnamon was able to see Dukemon fighting atop Grani, firing beams and stabbing at the aerial mercenaries.

Magnamon continued quickly looking around the carnage. He wasn't able to see Examon anywhere. There were too many different Digimon of varying sizes around, so it was easy to get lost in the battle. However, he did notice Craniamon duelling MirageGaogamon in the distance, near a cracked spire of stone.

"Behind you, Magnamon!" RhodoKnightmon called out to him.

Magnamon spun around and saw the crimson spear of DarkKnightmon swing down towards him. Luckily for Magnamon, his instincts were quick enough for him to react. He brought up his gold digizoid arm bracers and blocked the slash by crossing them over his head.

DarkKnightmon responded by driving his boot into Magnamon's chest, driving him back. He then fired a beam from his Twin Spear straight into him, blasting him to the ground.

The gold knight grimaced as his back struck the ground hard. However, he wasn't down for long. "Plasma Shoot!" he said, firing a string of missiles at DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon didn't stick around to fight Magnamon. He continued charging across the battlefield, dodging the missiles that landed right behind him. He narrowly missed the gold explosions as they detonated in mid air. DarkKnightmon drove his spear through the back of Garudamon and then pulled it out. After doing so, he dashed past and headed straight towards the left flank where OuRyuumon and the Strike Forces were.

* * *

><p>Dynasmon decked a DinoRexmon with a crushing punch, sending the large, green dinosaur crashing to the ground. When the mercenary crumpled at his feet with a hefty thud, the Royal Knight turned around. He had several shallow cuts along his wings, biceps, and back, along with various scuffs and scratches along his armour.<p>

He saw Gankoomon several feet away, who had just knocked unconscious the Triceramon X leader. Dynasmon saw a Gaiomon sneaking up behind him with his swords. The Royal Knight raised his claws, preparing to fire a beam before Gankoomon was attacked.

Before he could, Gankoomon spun around to face the Gaiomon. "Tekken Seisai!" As he whirled around, he drove his burning fist into the Gaiomon's face, the sheer force knocking the dragon warrior off of his feet. Hinukamui then emerged from Gankoomon's back, raised his fists up, and smashed the Digimon into the ground hard. The Gaiomon didn't get up.

"Not bad," Dynasmon said to him.

Gankoomon grinned and put a hand of one of the cuts on his arm. "You're holding up better than I thought too."

"Naturally," Dynasmon answered, smirking. "I'm a Royal Knight."

"Uh huh," Gankoomon said, rolling his eyes behind his visor. "S'that your friend over there?" He pointed behind Dynasmon.

Dynasmon turned around and saw Craniamon fighting MirageGaogamon twenty meters away.

"Full Moon Blaster!" MirageGaogamon released a stream of white power from his chest cannon towards Craniamon.

Craniamon grinned and raised his shield up in front of him. "God Breath!" he spoke. The Avalon glowed for a moment. The beam slammed into the shield and splintered off when it hit the impregnable barrier. The lasers either fizzled out of tore into the nearby ground and outcropping.

MirageGaogamon used his speed and shot towards Craniamon from behind, hoping to take advantage of the distraction. He rushed towards the violet-armoured knight and thrust forwards with his claw gauntlets. However, even with his extreme speed, MirageGaogamon found himself slamming into an invisible barrier. He let out a shout of pain and surprise, and staggered backwards inelegantly.

Craniamon glanced over his shoulder. "Valiant try," he said insincerely. He spun around and ripped one edge of the Claiohm Solais across MirageGaogamon's crest, cutting into the metal wolf head protruding from his armour.

"You should have expected a traitor to try and stab you in the back," Dynasmon told Craniamon, flying over to them. His claws brimmed with elemental power.

"Stay out of this, Dynasmon," Craniamon said to him, glancing at the dragon knight. "_I'm_ duelling him."

"I want to take over," he said, landing beside Craniamon and leering at MirageGaogamon. MirageGaogamon raised his claws and eyed Dynasmon warily.

"Too bad," Craniamon replied resolutely.

"So, I guess you don't want to prove Gankoomon wrong, after all?" Dynasmon proposed, looking over at the skull-themed warrior.

"Wrong about?" he asked, intrigued.

"He said you looked like you were only suited for one-on-one combat. He didn't think you could handle crowds," Dynasmon explained to him.

Craniamon grunted and stood up straight. He turned around and began to head towards where Gankoomon was. "I know you're lying, Dynasmon," Craniamon spoke, although he walked towards the collection of savage dinosaurs all the same. "If you're not done by the time I'm back, I'm taking over."

"Gotcha," Dynasmon replied lightly. However, his expression darkened as he observed MirageGaogamon, who panted. "MirageGaogamon…" he said to him, glaring.

"Sir Dynasmon…" MirageGaogamon replied, standing up straighter but refusing to lower his stance at all.

"Why bother with the 'Sir'?" Dynasmon asked, taking a step towards him. "You're not part of the Order anymore. You betrayed us a long time ago."

"Because I still respect you," the lupine warrior answered, taking a few cautious steps away from the nearby crag.

"You respect me so much that you helped DarkKnightmon backstab us and try to take over the Order… twice," the Royal Knight said bitterly.

"It's nothing personal," MirageGaogamon spoke, slowly circling Dynasmon. "I believe that Sir DarkKnightmon's way is better."

"How can you say it's nothing personal?!" Dynasmon retorted, eyeing him warily. "Of course it's personal when you turn your back on people who you're supposed to care about! I never thought that _you_ would be able to separate your loyalties, your feelings and your actions into neat little compartments like DarkKnightmon does."

"I don't," MirageGaogamon insisted. "It hurt me to move against the Royal Knights, but my loyalty lies with DarkKnightmon. We understand each other. Our goals are one. We both want to create a better world than the one that exists now. He knows how much it means to me."

"Because of what happened to your family?" Dynasmon challenged. "You idiot… He's using you! You don't know how manipulative DarkKnightmon can be!"

"No, he isn't," MirageGaogamon said firmly. "You have a bias against him because of what happened. You value loyalty above all else, so when somebody breaches your sense of loyalty, you write them off."

"Sorry if I don't take kindly to people betraying me, kidnapping and trying to kill my friends!" the violet dragon knight shot back. He dashed forwards and thrust his open palm at MirageGaogamon.

MirageGaogamon disappeared quickly, causing Dynasmon to only hit his afterimage. He reappeared behind Dynasmon and slashed down his back with his claws.

Dynasmon snarled with pain as the metal tore against his armour and scales. He whirled around and struck MirageGaogamon with a mighty backhand. He then aimed his palm at the airborne warrior and fired. "Dragon's Roar!" Energy ripped from his palm and exploded against MirageGaogamon's chest, sending him skidding across the grass.

MirageGaogamon winced greatly as he came to a stop. He crossed his arms in front of his body. "Double Crescent Mirage!" he shouted, unleashing shockwaves outwards as he swept his arms out.

Dynasmon sneered and raised his arms to block against the attack. The arcs sliced through the air and slammed into his arms, chipping his armour. He was pushed back in the grass, but managed to keep his foothold. He lowered his gaze and lowered his arms, clenching his fists tightly. "Looks like I'm going to have to knock some sense into you, Captain."

MirageGaogamon stood to his feet and brushed a clump of grass off of his shoulder. "If you insist, I'll have to oblige." He readied his claws and opened the slightly damaged cannon on his chest. "Sir Dynasmon…"

* * *

><p>"Stay still, you stupid snake!"<p>

Vikemon slammed one of his huge morning stars into the ground in an attempt to hit OuRyuumon. OuRyuumon nimbly swerved his serpentine body and dodged the spiked head of the heavy mace.

The two fought along the left flank, where the Valancers were having it out with the Strike Forces. The smell of blood, fire, energy attacks, and data was thick across the chaotic battlefield.

OuRyuumon smirked and circled around the comparatively sluggish Digimon. He plunged one of his scimitars towards Vikemon's back, but the mammal Digimon turned around and blocked it with the shield on his shoulder.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Vikemon taunted. He spun around as lashed one of his spiked maces out horizontally.

OuRyuumon agilely arched his body over the incoming morning star and sliced one of his bladed wings across his fur. To the dragon's surprise, the blade merely brushed off. He was sure that he hit him directly and that his blades weren't at all dull, so he deduced that this Vikemon had really durable fur that acted like a chain mail.

Vikemon dropped one of his Mjöllnir morning starts and reached out to grab OuRyuumon by his tail. He suddenly jerked down with enormous strength and sent OuRyuumon crashing to the ground. The gold dragon hit the ground with a wince.

The mercenary continued to hold him by the tail, and raised his morning star over his head, ready to cave OuRyuumon in with it. Sensing this, OuRyuumon whipped the end of his tail around and stabbed the bladed tip into the large hand that held his tail.

With a curse of pain, Vikemon released him but continued to bring the weighty mace down on him. With his tail free, OuRyuumon rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the spiked metal that embedded itself in the ground next to him. OuRyuumon flapped his wings and flew into the air to avoid being struck again. As he flew away, Vikemon lashed out with another strike, this time successfully hitting OuRyuumon's tail. His tail whipped outwards painfully and one of the spikes opened a cut along its side.

OuRyuumon sneered and circled around, the adrenaline pumping through his body. He slashed the Gairyu scimitars down, the blades crackling with power. "Eiseiryuoujin!" he growled, shooting blasts of energy from his swords. They slammed into Vikemon's chest and exploded.

Vikemon stumbled backwards and glared up at the dragon. "That's it, snake!" He slammed his morning stars into the ground and released a blast of freezing energy out from around him. "Arctic Blizzard!"

The cold aura swept out around Vikemon, the temperatures decreasing rapidly. The blades of grass and flowers froze instantly, and OuRyuumon could begin to feel his scales going numb.

"Damn it," OuRyuumon hissed as his body heat dropped and frost began to form on his armour. His violet eyes hardened and he started to envelope his own body with golden power. "Ougai!" he roared, his form taking on a golden glow. He tore towards Vikemon, ripping up the earth and ground beneath him and forming a blast of terra following in his wake. He contended against the freezing power of Vikemon's attack with the warmth of his own. OuRyuumon cut across the ground and slammed into Vikemon with his swords and wings.

OuRyuumon sliced into him and struggled against his fur with his raging power. Vikemon released a roar of agony when the dragon finally sent burning energy and steel shooting out of his back. When OuRyuumon tore through Vikemon's disintegrating body and soared up into the air, his blades dripping with blood.

Panting a bit as the rest of the data dispersed beneath him, OuRyuumon looked around the battlefield. "Push forward, Strike Forces! Their line is breaking!" OuRyuumon yelled to his subordinates.

"Captain!" Grademon called out to him.

"What?!" OuRyuumon asked, looking down and eyeing the golden dragon man.

"It's UlforceVeedramon!" Grademon said, pointing.

OuRyuumon gazed to where he was pointing. To his shock, he saw UlforceVeedramon locked in bitter combat with DarkKnightmon.

UlforceVeedramon had several relatively deep cuts along his wings and arms. He held his Ulforce Sabres up to block another of DarkKnightmon's attacks.

"Not… as good as the rumours say you are," UlforceVeedramon taunted, wincing a bit as he held against DarkKnightmon's Twin Spear.

"Fools believe rumours," DarkKnightmon answered, retracting his lance. He nimbly parried a swift stab of one of UlforceVeedramon's Ulforce Sabres. "But I'm still as strong as any of the Royal Knights."

Emphatically, DarkKnightmon swung the Twin Spear around and drove the wide base of the spear into UlforceVeedramon's face, causing his head to jerk back. As he staggered back, DarkKnightmon pointed his lance at him. He unleashed a blast of shadows from the weapon.

"Rgh. Tensegrity Shield!" UlforceVeedramon countered, bringing his left arm up. A barrier burst from the V-Bracelet and formed around the cobalt knight's body, protecting him completely from the blast. While inside, the 'V' on his chest began to glow dazzlingly. He dropped the barrier as soon as the dark power faded away, firing from his chest immediately upon doing so. "Shining V Force!"

A v-shaped ray beamed from his chest and burned into DarkKnightmon's armoured form. The resulting blast sent the two shooting away from each other.

Using his attack as cover, UlforceVeedramon flapped his wings and flew into the air rapidly, his body moving like a blur. He circled through the airspace swiftly, cutting down any enemy flier that was in his way. He then looped back around and began to charge DarkKnightmon, his body becoming encased in a draconic aura. The more that he sped up towards DarkKnightmon, the more aura that formed around him.

"Dragon Impulse X!" UlforceVeedramon shouted out as he rushed DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon saw the blue comet surging towards him. He quickly rose his spear and fired a steady beam directly into UlforceVeedramon. The stream of darkness slammed into UlforceVeedramon and parted around his approaching form. The aura seemed to be cushioning the blast for him, but he was still slowed down by the continuous surge of dark energy that washed over his form.

UlforceVeedramon growled as he was forced to fight against the attack, removing any speed that he previously had during that attack. He burst out of the side of the flame, only vestiges of his draconic aura still around his form. The V on his chest burned brightly again as he prepared a back up attack. "Shining…!"

DarkKnightmon lunged towards UlforceVeedramon, who was forced to respond quickly.

"V Force!" UlforceVeedramon released another beam from his crest.

Expecting this, DarkKnightmon ducked under its wide blast range just in time, saving himself despite parts of his came beginning to burn. He rushed UlforceVeedramon, who prepared to stab with his Ulforce Sabre.

DarkKnightmon ripped the Twin Spear across the exposed part of UlforceVeedramon's chest, tearing through the scales of his abdomen.

UlforceVeedramon let out a roar of pain, but followed through with his attack. He stabbed his laser blade down through DarkKnightmon's armoured shoulder.

Glaring with agony as the beam sword burned his skin, DarkKnightmon recoiled so that the sword was pulled out of his shoulder armour. He then drove his bladed, metal boot into UlforceVeedramon's bleeding gut and kicked him out of the air. UlforceVeedramon fell to the ground with a crash.

DarkKnightmon straightened himself up again, preparing to attack UlforceVeedramon decisively. But he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look.

Two blasts slammed into DarkKnightmon's body, tearing against his plate armour and sending pain shooting up his form. Growling with pain, DarkKnightmon recovered from the attack and swept the Twin Spear out. Flying straight towards him was the unmistakeable form of OuRyuumon.

"You bastard!" OuRyuumon roared, tearing towards him. He closed in on DarkKnightmon and slashed his scimitars down.

DarkKnightmon blocked the attack with the side of his double-headed lance. "OuRyuumon…" he spoke calmly, although pain was clear in his voice. "Just… the Digimon I was looking for…"

"The feeling's mutual!" OuRyuumon retorted, pulling one of his scimitars back and stabbing it towards DarkKnightmon's neck.

DarkKnightmon tilted his head to the side sharply, causing the blade to scrape the side of his neck armour. "Hoping to finish the job…?" he asked with veiled contempt gracing his meditative tone. "There are no tall buildings around here to throw me from."

"Don't need one!" OuRyuumon fired back, shooting to the side as DarkKnightmon plunged his Twin Spear towards his lean body. "I'm… a better fighter than you are!" He growled and stabbed the Gairyu Udaijin down towards the gap in DarkKnightmon's collar.

The dark knight flipped his spear up to knock the descending to the blade off its trajectory. He then slashed the Twin Spear upwards, causing the tip to slice up along OuRyuumon's body. As the snarling dragon stumbled back, DarkKnightmon poised the lance and glared at OuRyuumon. "No, you're only mouthier than I am," he answered.

OuRyuumon sneered and slashed his right sword down. "Eiseiryuoujin!" he shouted, ripping a shockwave from his blade towards DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon swept his weapon out and deflected the attack with an explosion. As the explosion detonated, OuRyuumon then swiped his left sword, unleashing a second blast. This blast DarkKnightmon was less prepared for, and it slammed into his chest, causing the grass to burst up under him from the sheer concussion of the impact.

Grunting with pain, a fracture formed on the golden crest of DarkKnightmon's chest armour.

"I _am_ gonna kill you this time, DarkKnightmon," OuRyuumon told him, his swords smoking with energy. "And I can't wait."

"You're mistaken…" DarkKnightmon answered coldly. "I'm not going to let a petty, petulant, brute-of-a-worm like you stop me. There's no place for somebody like you in the world I'm going to create."

"You're just an arrogant, condescending traitor. Don't act like you're so morally superior!" OuRyuumon shot back. "I only tried to kill you because you were going to do the same to Alphamon!"

"And we all know why that is," DarkKnightmon answered enigmatically.

"What?" OuRyuumon demanded, his violet eyes growing hard and narrow.

"Because of how much Alphamon means to you," the black knight supposed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" the gold dragon defensively asked.

DarkKnightmon smirked. "I really am surprised, OuRyuumon; I underestimated you…" he told him smugly. "I didn't think you were capable of keeping a secret for more than ten seconds, but you proved me wrong. You hid your homosexuality so well."

As DarkKnightmon spoke, OuRyuumon's eyes widened and blood began to rush into his face. He bore his teeth with anger and embarrassment at the fact that DarkKnightmon found out. "What…?" he asked him, scowling with rage. "You… Omegamon said something while he was brainwashed, didn't he?! You aren't smart enough to realize by yourself."

DarkKnightmon brushed the insult aside. "Looking back, it makes so much sense," he explained. "Your dogged, almost pathetic loyalty to Alphamon… It was all because you wanted him in bed."

OuRyuumon snarled and lunged at DarkKnightmon. "Don't generalize me, bastard!" he shouted, his body becoming surrounded with golden power. "Ougai!"

The serpentine dragon ripped through the air towards DarkKnightmon. The fallen knight responded by raising his spear and launching a flood of dark energy from its crimson metal. The darkness hit OuRyuumon and split around him in strands, pushing him back, but he fought through it stubbornly. He tore through the shadows and tackled into DarkKnightmon, knocking him onto his back. As OuRyuumon landed on him and made to stab him, DarkKnightmon promptly kicked him off.

As soon as OuRyuumon crashed to the ground, he moved to the side, narrowly avoiding being run through by a stab of DarkKnightmon's lance. Both warriors scrambled to their feet and backed away from one another.

"You and Alphamon…" DarkKnightmon breathed. "For all of his qualities, he has terrible taste in lovers."

OuRyuumon sneered. "Jealous?" he asked.

"'Jealous'?" DarkKnightmon repeated incredulously. "Do you honestly think I care at all?"

"I'm not sure about you…" OuRyuumon said lowly.

Suddenly, DarkKnightmon couldn't help but chuckle. "I see… So, that's it. You were jealous of me. Threatened. That's why you detested me."

"You're generalizing again! I can't stand you because you're a smug, arrogant, treacherous prick!" OuRyuumon countered, glowering balefully.

"And what if I told you that Alphamon and I were lovers?" DarkKnightmon lied, enjoying messing with OuRyuumon's head.

OuRyuumon froze momentarily. However, he began to sneer disbelievingly. "You're lying…" he argued.

"I'm sure if you thought about it carefully, you will come out with the right answer," DarkKnightmon supposed with an enigmatic shrug. "Either way, you won't be around long enough to ask Alphamon yourself."

"Oh yeah?" OuRyuumon contentiously asked.

"Yes…" the black knight replied. "I'm going to kill you, OuRyuumon. I'm going to delete you and rip you away from Alphamon."

At this, OuRyuumon growled and gripped his swords tightly.

DarkKnightmon stared at OuRyuumon darkly. "I will completely break Alphamon. The death of his lover will be the act that finally destroys his willpower. That will turn the tide of battle in my favour."

"Tch…" OuRyuumon scoffed. He closed his eyes and stood up straight. "The joke's on you, asshole! Alphamon and I aren't even together anymore!" OuRyuumon retorted, taking a bit of enjoyment in getting the better of DarkKnightmon.

"Oh…?" DarkKnightmon asked, smirking behind his helmet. "So, Alphamon finally saw sense, did he? Good. I'm glad that I was able to do him a favour by telling him the truth about you and what you did. I'm happy that he dumped you by the wayside like the trash that you are. …I'm going to eliminate you regardless."

OuRyuumon looked like he wanted to rip DarkKnightmon in half. His teeth were clenched and his arms shaking with rage. "You're going to have a hell of a time trying!" the dragon responded.

Without warning, OuRyuumon burst towards him. "Eiseiryuoujin!" he snarled, swiping his sword down. Power pulsed from the blade and soared towards DarkKnightmon.

DarkKnightmon swept the Twin Spear out, deflecting the powerful attack, which spun into the ground nearby with an explosion. As earth cascaded out from the blast, OuRyuumon followed up with a stab of his sword. He plunged his left scimitar forwards and embedded the tip in DarkKnightmon's armour. The sword stabbed into the right 'eye' of DarkKnightmon's skull-shaped armour. As he tried to shove the blade in deep, it was met with resistance from the surrounding breast plate.

Although wincing with pain as the sword began to break his skin and go deeper, DarkKnightmon took the opportunity of OuRyuumon being stuck in front of him. He lashed out and grabbed OuRyuumon by his face, holding him in place. DarkKnightmon then drove the Twin Spear into OuRyuumon's chest armour.

OuRyuumon released a strong snarl and was forced to pull away, withdrawing the Gairyu Sadaijin from DarkKnightmon's body. As the two weapons left each other's forms, blood oozed out and trickled down their chests.

However, DarkKnightmon wasn't finished. He jumped up and unleashed a mighty axe kick down on OuRyuumon's face with the metal heel of his boot. Grunting and staggering back, OuRyuumon swiftly counterattacked. He cut his scimitar across the back of DarkKnightmon's raised leg before flying into the air for manoeuvrability. OuRyuumon avoided a stab from DarkKnightmon's spear as he ascended and arched down to quickly drive his blades in and out of DarkKnightmon's back armour, more to hurt than to kill.

DarkKnightmon's back arched with pain and a gasp escaped his throat. Knowing that OuRyuumon was more agile than him, he knew that he had to counter this advantage. He whipped his double-headed lance out behind him and sliced across OuRyuumon's tail. He went on to raise the Twin Spear over his head and spin it around rapidly. "Treason Vortex!"

OuRyuumon snarled at the tornado of dark energy forming behind him. He flapped his wings to fly away, but the air flow and strands of shadows pulled him back, sucking him into it. DarkKnightmon calmly watched as he increased the speed of his spinning, forcing OuRyuumon into the black cyclone.

"D-Damn it…" OuRyuumon grunted, trying his best to pull himself out of the violent, crackling vortex. His form took on a gold aura and he tried to force his way out of its hold. "Ouga-argh!" he sputtered, interrupted as a dark tendril wrapped around his neck and pulled him directly into the funnel of dark power. Roars of pain were torn from OuRyuumon's throat as he was bombarded on all sides by the merciless, black energy.

DarkKnightmon intensified the attack, wanting to do as much damage to him as possible.

After many seconds, the attack finally started to subside. OuRyuumon burst out of the weakening cyclic pillar of shadows, darkness seeping from the numerous cracks in his armour. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he glared down at DarkKnightmon with wild, furious eyes. He swooped down and slammed into DarkKnightmon. He started bashing DarkKnightmon's face with the hilt of his left sword. As he unleashed this violent beating, he pulled the Gairyu Udaijin back and stabbed it into DarkKnightmon's side, causing it to cut along his skin when the knight moved at the last minute.

DarkKnightmon winced as his face was subjected to a vicious pummelling. Despite the numb stinging in his face, he angled his head to the side so that OuRyuumon missed one of the bashes. He then pitched his head forwards and drove his metal helmet into OuRyuumon's snout, head butting him hard.

OuRyuumon was forced to take a couple steps back. As blood seeped from his nostrils and onto his lips, he glared deeply into DarkKnightmon's eyes. DarkKnightmon returned the glare with a subdued yet passionate, baleful look in his monochrome, yellow eyes. Then he moved his arm…

OuRyuumon's violet eyes widened and a gasp escaped his mouth. He looked down to see the Twin Spear embed itself deep in his chest. The spear went halfway into OuRyuumon's serpent-like chest before stopping completely.

Blood trickled from the wound and began to roll along the underside of the crimson lance. DarkKnightmon stared at OuRyuumon coldly before pulling the weapon out roughly, causing more crimson liquid to seep from the wound. OuRyuumon's form jerked and he dropped his left scimitar to the ground.

"B… Bastard…" OuRyuumon hissed. A feral, adrenaline-filled fury overtook his previously stunned expression. Despite the brutal wound, the dragon still had enough strength in him to lunge at DarkKnightmon. Shocked by OuRyuumon's ferocity and ability to act after such a wound, DarkKnightmon didn't have time to defend himself. OuRyuumon tore towards DarkKnightmon, raising his remaining blade. He plunged the Gairyu Udaijin deep into DarkKnightmon's collar, hard enough to go straight through and burst out the other side.

DarkKnightmon's eyes shot open and he released an uncharacteristic howl of pain as the sword impaled just below and to the left of his neck. He snarled and drove his fist right into OuRyuumon's fresh chest wound, pulling a raspy, agonized roar from OuRyuumon's throat. "You… stupid… FOOL!" DarkKnightmon scathed, grabbing OuRyuumon by the neck with his free arm, ignoring the trembling sword sticking out of his body. He squeezed and held OuRyuumon back at arm's length. "Imbecile… You stubborn, insufferable, little halfwit… You… don't know when to stop. You _never_ know when to stop…"

He tightened his fingers around OuRyuumon's thick windpipe. "You always open your big mouth, spouting out garbage. You always act without thinking about the consequences! Why… Why would Alphamon keep you around for so long?" DarkKnightmon asked, sneering at him darkly.

OuRyuumon released a choked gasp. "Because… we care about… each other…" he sputtered between staggered breaths, weakly raising his arms and grabbing OuRyuumon's hand, digging at his gauntlet with his claws. He locked eyes with DarkKnightmon. "Something… you'll never understand…"

DarkKnightmon narrowed his eyes and pressed the tip of the Twin Spear against OuRyuumon's upper body. "Then he's an even bigger fool than you are… Twin Spear!"

The Twin Spear surged with darkness and engulfed OuRyuumon's body completely, tearing into his armour and scales. OuRyuumon was surrounded in the attack's shadowy folds and thrown through the air violently. The attack itself consumed several others as well, both soldier and mercenary, reducing them to data.

OuRyuumon crashed to the ground and skidded across the grass, soil, and mud until he came to a stop at the end of the ditch that the beam had created. He didn't move.

DarkKnightmon sneered and lifted his left arm up. He gripped the blade of the Gairyu Udaijin, which was still sticking through his body, and pulled it out forcefully. He grimaced with pain and felt blood begin to wet the inside of his breast plate. The dark knight dropped the sword to the ground and began to walk towards OuRyuumon. His eyes seemed to glow red with a silent fury as he stepped towards the gold dragon with determination in his stride.

"Captain OuRyuumon!" a Bullmon shouted, dashing over and getting in between DarkKnightmon and OuRyuumon. He glared at DarkKnightmon and kicked at the ground, preparing to charge him.

As the Bullmon charged him, DarkKnightmon merely continued walking at the same pace. The horned Digimon closed in on him, lashing at him with his horns. "Matador Dash!"

As the Bullmon was about to gore him, DarkKnightmon casually stepped aside. He slashed the Twin Spear out and ripped it along the Bullmon's side. The soldier of the Order crashed to the ground in a heap of dust before bursting into data.

As the data spread behind him, DarkKnightmon just continued walking towards OuRyuumon, ignoring all else. He approached the dragon with his weapon in hand.

OuRyuumon lay on the ground, bruised and bleeding badly, especially from the stab wound in his chest. He breathed heavily and grimaced with pain, hardly able to move. He glanced up at DarkKnightmon with an adversarial glare. He tried to speak but could only manage a sharp hiss of pain.

"Finally at a loss for words?" DarkKnightmon asked him, raising the Twin Spear and aiming it at OuRyuumon's face. "Let's make it permanent."

OuRyuumon gritted his teeth and sneered up at DarkKnightmon defiantly.

"Farewell, OuRyuumon… Send my regards to the Dark Area."

A beam surged through the air and illuminated OuRyuumon's form with bright light.

The blast of emerald power slammed into DarkKnightmon, throwing him far away from OuRyuumon, leaving the gold dragon momentarily surprised.

Alphamon flew over and landed beside OuRyuumon, his palm smoking and his blade of light in his hand. "OuRyuumon!" he exclaimed, looking down at OuRyuumon's badly wounded form with worry.

"Alpha…mon…" OuRyuumon rasped, gazing up at him.

Alphamon kneeled down beside him, looking him over while still keeping an eye out for DarkKnightmon. "You're going to be okay," he assured him.

OuRyuumon grimaced and tensed up at a jolt of agony. "D-Don't… think so…" he replied with sombreness behind his strained words. "Not gonna last… much longer. Data's barely holding together…"

Alphamon took hold of OuRyuumon's clawed hand and squeezed it, his eyes growing wider and more concerned. "No! I'm not going to lose you, OuRyuumon!" he retorted stubbornly.

"No… Don't worry 'bout me…" OuRyuumon said to him, a tiny smile growing on his face. "I'm done holding you back…"

The black knight glared into OuRyuumon's eyes with passion. "You never held me back, damnit!"

"Didn't I?" OuRyuumon asked him. "You were always… the smarter, more responsible one…" He closed his watering eyes. "I always got us into trouble… made problems for you… started fights… but you still put up with me."

Alphamon shut his eyes tightly, restraining the tears that threatened to form in his eyes. "I didn't 'put up' with you, OuRyuumon! Stop talking like this! Stop bringing these feelings up now like this is the last time we'll ever see each other!" he demanded, clasping OuRyuumon's hand with both of his now.

"Isn't it…?" OuRyuumon asked, opening his eyes and staring up at Alphamon. He smiled contently. "I love yo—"

"No!" Alphamon shouted angrily, snapping his moist eyes open and glaring down at him. "The OuRyuumon I know wouldn't give up like this! He wouldn't just lie down and die!" he challenged him. "When did you get to be so weak?! Where's the stubborn, resilient, passionate OuRyuumon who's my best friend?! Where's the OuRyuumon that I grew to love?!"

OuRyuumon stared up at him with shock. "Alphamon…" he whispered. "But…" He looked down at his body and began to see fractures forming around the deep stab wound in his chest.

"There's still a way…" Alphamon said with resolve. "There's a way to save you…" He looked into OuRyuumon's eyes. "Ouryuken… I'll be able to share my data with you in that form."

OuRyuumon released a sharp hiss of pain as his body momentarily seized up. "Rrgh… B-But… it broke… We broke… the jogress… Can we even… do it again?"

"We can…" Alphamon said to him. "I trust in you, OuRyuumon… Things may have happened between us recently, but I believe in our bond. I believe that our hearts can beat as one once again…"

The golden dragon's eyes widened. "…I…" His gaze softened. "So do I…" he spoke in response. He gave a broken smile as he squeezed Alphamon's hand. "I've been… so selfish before…"

Alphamon closed his eyes, clasping his claws in response. "So have I… But together we can move forwards, can't we?" He gathered OuRyuumon's upper body in his arms and began to bring him towards his chest.

OuRyuumon released a sigh as their bloodied, broken bodies pressed against one another. The Digicore Interface on his head began to glow brightly. "Yeah… we can…"

The Digicore Interface that was on Alphamon's brow flared up as well, resonating with OuRyuumon's. Between them, an intense flare of light began to form and grow. Alphamon's eyes opened and glowed brightly as he summoned a large, magical circle of Digi-letters between their bodies. The incorporeal circle rested between them and began to coruscate brightly.

"Alphamon!"

"OuRyuumon…"

"Jogress Shinka!"

DarkKnightmon pulled his body up from the ground and turned to gaze at the piercing radiance. His eyes widened with disbelief and rage. Grunting, DarkKnightmon began to sprint towards the two, bringing up his spear and aiming it at them. "No! I won't allow it!" he yelled, firing a massive beam of darkness into them.

The shadows impacted the evolution but merely splintered off into tendrils, unable to break through the light and touch them as the evolution took place. The light suddenly intensified and completely annihilated DarkKnightmon's blast entirely.

From within the light emerged Alphamon: Ouryuken. His majestic wings shimmered in the dim morning light, his cape flowed behind him, and the giant pole arm, Ouryuken, hung at his side. Despite the evolution, his wounds weren't healed or his energy restored, but he received a tremendous boost in power and data capacity, which helped to mitigate that disadvantage somewhat.

Alphamon: Ouryuken stepped out and pointed the sword at DarkKnightmon. "DarkKnightmon…" he spoke authoritatively.

DarkKnightmon sneered. "Alphamon… Again and _again_ you stand in my way… Why do you stifle me?! Don't you see the bigger picture?!"

Alphamon: Ouryuken just stared at him firmly and silently, his form still encased with holy light.

DarkKnightmon gripped the Twin Spear and narrowed his eyes. "…Very well. I've given you chance after chance to step aside. My patience has run out," he explained. "I'll kill you, Alphamon. Even in that form, I'll kill you. I don't wish to, but you leave me no choice now. If you stand in my way when my goal is within my grasp, then you must be deleted."

"Then there's nothing left to say," Alphamon told him. He spread his wings and lifted himself up, poising the Ouryuken behind him.

"I suppose not…" DarkKnightmon replied, lifting himself into the air as well.

The two black knights stared at the other before shooting towards one another on a collision course. Alphamon swept the Ouryuken down and DarkKnightmon thrust the Twin Spear forwards as the two Digimon met in a bitter, explosive clash…

* * *

><p>Examon flew to the side as a mass of stone hurled towards him. The giant stone missed and hurled into a crowd of fighters. "Dorbickmon…" he spoke levelly. He leered across the fire-singed grass and unearthed mounds and craters of dirt.<p>

Dorbickmon glared at Examon and tore the Tyrant Collbrande from the ground, hoisting it into the air and swinging it out to the side. The dragon man started bolting across the ground towards Examon. "I'm taking you down, Examon!" he snarled.

The corners of Examon's mouth curved down and he flapped his wings, flying up and back through the air. He aimed his lance at the charging mercenary. "Dorbickmon, stop this," he told him, doing his best to remain calm and level headed. "I don't want to fight you."

"You don't get to pick and choose!" Dorbickmon shouted, stabbing his blade into a nearby rock pillar as he ran.

Tapping into the mass of dragon veins again, he summoned a huge rock from behind Examon that smashed through the Royal Knights' ranks before plowing into Examon's back.

Examon managed to turn around halfway and use his left wing as a shield against the boulder, but the impact was powerful enough to still knock him down from his elevated position. Dorbickmon took this opportunity to lunge at Examon with his sword. He slashed the Tyrant Collbrande down and cut it across Examon's wing and diagonally down his armoured chest.

A strained snarl ejected from Examon's throat as the armour ripped and superheated. The blade cut across his scales and he had to choke back the bile rising in his throat from the agony of the attack. Acting on instinct, Examon lashed out with his left arm, striking the side of his hand and claws across Dorbickmon's face, forcing them away from each other. They both landed on the ground and stumbled back, but Examon soon followed up by whipping his long tail out. The tail wrapped around Dorbickmon's arms a few times, squeezing him and holding him in place.

Dorbickmon snarled out flames and resisted against Examon's long appendage. "I'll rip this tail apart, Examon!" he warned him.

Examon ignored Dorbickmon's threat and aimed the Ambrosius at him at close range. As soon as he pulled the trigger, he released his tail from around Dorbickmon's body. The tail quickly uncoiled and a cylindrical shell launched from the lance and flew towards Dorbickmon.

Expecting this, Dorbickmon released a Dragon Breath Tonic Fire attack that he had been forming in his mouth, forgoing calling the attack due to lack of time. The flames washed over the incoming shell and caused it to pop from the inside. When it exploded, the munition released several metal ball bearings. While not lethal against the heavily armoured Dorbickmon in this situation, they were able to pierce through the flames and slam into his chest armour, forming cracks all over it and weakening the metal severely.

Dorbickmon sneered as some of the cracked metal cut against his scales and caused bruises to form. He ignored the relatively minor pain and began to ready his sword. "Tyrant Collbrande!"

"Avalon's Gate!" Examon countered, squeezing the trigger of his lance. Moving faster, a second shell burst from the Ambrosius and spiralled towards Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon swung his blade down, but this time he was too slow for the projectile. The shell slammed into his armour and burst open while he was in mid-swing. As the metal cracked open, data emerged from the shell and went into the cracks of Dorbickmon's armour, getting through to his scales. His chest began to tingle and go numb, similar to the feeling of one's limb falling asleep. The dragon man's eyes widened with confusion and anger as the numb, paralyzing feeling began to go through his chest muscles and towards his limbs.

"What the hell is this?!" Dorbickmon demanded, staggering towards Examon and trying to resist the lack of feeling in his muscles. He charged at Examon despite his increasingly sluggish movements. The closer he got to Examon, the more that he slowed, struggling to move his limbs. "Damn… you…!"

"It's a paralyzing virus," Examon explained, lowering his weapon slightly and walking towards Dorbickmon. "It's temporary."

Dorbickmon was forced to a stop and he planted his sword into the ground to keep himself standing. "Damn it… Versatile ammo, huh…?" he asked, glaring at Examon as sweat dripped down his face.

"Now will you listen to me?" Examon questioned. He stopped in front of Dorbickmon and looked in his eyes calmly.

"You fricking cold fish…" Dorbickmon heaved, gripping his blade tighter and trying to keep balanced on his obviously numb legs. "Like I have a choice…"

"You _do_ have a choice, Dorbickmon," Examon informed him, stopping in front of the mercenary but still holding the lance in both of his claws.

"And what choice is that?" he grunted, glaring up at him.

"You can stop all of this," the crimson Dragon Emperor said to him. "We can move past this."

"Who the hell do you think I am?" Dorbickmon growled. "We're in the middle of a massive battle, you naïve idiot! Besides, you're making it sound like I'm in the wrong!"

Examon frowned. "You're attacking the World Tree and many good Digimon just to get at me. But... I know that I'm in the wrong too." He sighed and lowered the Ambrosius further. "I'm sorry, Dorbickmon… I'm so sorry that I hurt you… I was a coward. It was my gekerin; all Coredramons have one and you must have brushed it. It just… made me lose control. Like I said, when I regained my senses, I was so scared… so selfish," he sincerely explained with a grimace on his face.

Dorbickmon couldn't help but be surprised by the amount of emotion in Examon's usually stoic gaze. He eyed him with a raised brow and a weakening scowl.

Examon gripped the handle and shaft of the Ambrosius tightly. "I betrayed your trust… and you were nearly reformatted because of me." He looked down at Dorbickmon with a restrained but intense gaze. "If I could go back, I would stay with you…"

Dorbickmon narrowed his eyes. However, his eyes soon closed and he began to bow his head. "Examon…" he said, his voice softer than usual. "I know…"

With shock, Examon gazed at Dorbickmon. "You do…?" he asked him with both surprise and hope in his tone. "You believe me?"

"Yeah…" Dorbickmon said with a small smile. He let his one of his hands slide off the Tyrant Collbrande, and he slowly lifted it up towards Examon amicably. "You're a stubborn bastard. I'll give you that."

Examon began to smile and he let go of the Ambrosius' shaft to reach towards Dorbickmon's hand to take it.

Dorbickmon smiled darkly.

"SUCKER!" he shouted, suddenly grabbing Examon by the wrist. Using the sword still stuck in the ground, he harnessed the power of the dragon's veins and ripped a huge shard of rock from the ground behind the Royal Knight. The rock ripped from the depths of the earth and crashed into the back of Examon's legs and tail, cutting against them and knocking him to his knees. Dorbickmon pulled the Tyrant Collbrande from the ground and slashed it towards Examon's body.

Examon – hurt and frustrated – moved his wing and used the Caledfwlch as a shield against the sword. The conflagrant blade impacted the chrome digizoid armour and rebounded off. He plunged the Ambrosius towards Dorbickmon's shoulder, but the mercenary grabbed hold of the shaft and held it out to the side. "Dorbickmon…!"

"Doesn't feel great being attacked and betrayed while your guard is down, does it?!" Dorbickmon asked him with a wild grin. He swiped his sword outwards and expelled it in a flurry of flames. He then grabbed hold of Examon's protective wing and pulled it outwards with superior strength, trying to get past the barrier to Examon.

Examon grunted as Dorbickmon got past the wing and jumped to his feet, charging and bringing his fist towards Examon's face. He caught Dorbickmon's fist with his claws while the other hand dropped the Ambrosius to the ground. "Dorbickmon!" he shouted with an uncharacteristic passion in his words. "The only one you're fooling is yourself!"

"What?!" Dorbickmon yelled angrily. He lashed out with his other hand and drilled his jagged, metal gauntlet across Examon's face.

Examon winced and grabbed Dorbickmon's arm after it connected with his face. Despite the pain in his face, he pulled against the arm and leered at Dorbickmon while slowly standing to his feet. "You aren't attacking me with nearly as much intensity as you used to…" he told him as fresh blood trickled from his lip. "You're holding back…"

"Like hell I am!" Dorbickmon retorted, rushing forwards and headbutting Examon right in the snout.

A flash of crimson and pain clouded Examon's vision. However, he managed to hook Dorbickmon's nose horn with his own and lock him in place. Dorbickmon swore and tried to pull away from Examon's hold, finding it difficult with Examon's horn and claws to contend with. However, he did so aggressively, causing Examon great pain as he struggled to grapple with the mercenary.

"You… rgh… are!" Examon told him sharply, glaring into Dorbickmon's yellow-violet eyes. "Just like the other day!"

Dorbickmon snarled and wrenched his left arm away and drilled it into the mangled armour of Examon's gut.

Examon hunched over slightly but remained resistant in spite of the pain. He grabbed hold of Dorbickmon's arm again, digging his claws into the dragon's scales to hold him more aggressively.

"That was… a mistake!" Dorbickmon protested savagely. "I should have run you through!"

"But you didn't!" Examon insisted passionately, pulling with his nose horn to make sure that Dorbickmon wasn't able to tear away. "You chose not to!"

"I knew you didn't have the balls to go through with it!" Dorbickmon shouted intensely, droplets of his saliva sputtering onto Examon's face with every word roared. "That's why I stopped!"

"You know that's a lie!" Examon insisted, struggling to keep a hold on Dorbickmon's other arm. He took hold of one of the spikes jutting out from the metal vambrace on his forearm.

"I don't know that!" Dorbickmon countered agitatedly. He began to build up fiery energy in the cannon ports of his breastplate. The cylinders began to glow a bright orange as they prepared to fire two blasts at Examon at point blank range. However, Dorbickmon cringed and the heat and power began to fade away. "I… don't know!"

"Yes, you do, Dorbickmon!" the crimson Royal Knight told him. "You just won't let yourself admit it…!"

"What. The hell. Do you. Know?!" Dorbickmon protested, using his strength to get the better of Examon and push him up against a half-destroyed stone pillar that he had created. He glared into Examon's calm eyes; his own were filled with emotion and contrasting shades of anger.

The tips of Examon's horns scraped against the rock behind him. He raised a foot and pressed it against Dorbickmon's stomach to keep him from getting too close. "I know that you still have a good heart."

"You don't know anything about me! I've killed a lot of Digimon!" Dorbickmon shot back, a few embers flickering between his jagged teeth.

"So have I…" Examon answered. "But that doesn't mean it still isn't true."

Dorbickmon winced and snarled. Examon could feel his struggling becoming weaker. "You expect me to listen to the idealistic crap a Royal Knight spits out?!" he asked, the passion in his voice more restrained now.

"No… but I'd like you to listen to your old friend… One who wants to make amends for hurting his best friend so badly," Examon said, looking into Dorbickmon sincerely.

Dorbickmon's eyes widened. He shut his eyes and unhooked his horn from Examon's. After harshly pulling his arms away, Dorbickmon took a few steps back and grabbed his own face, swearing.

"Fuck! Damn it!" he shouted with frustration. "What the hell is wrong with you, you bastard!? Why won't you leave me alone?! Why can't I get you out of my damn head since fighting you at Wyrm's Edge?!"

Examon slackened and stepped away from the pillar behind him, panting with exhaustion. He kept his eyes on Dorbickmon.

"Why aren't I into this damn campaign anymore?!" Dorbickmon demanded, glaring at Examon. "I'm supposed to want to kill you! I wanted revenge! That's the whole reason I started this thing!"

"Maybe you want something more now…" Examon suggested, his gaze level with the mercenary. "Maybe you want to move on."

Dorbickmon grimaced and lowered his hand from his face, his eyes shimmering as they glared at his counterpart. "I was supposed to move on once I killed you…" he told him.

"But you can't do that, can you…?" Examon asked him calmly.

After a few moments of Dorbickmon looking like he wanted to fire back, he found that he wasn't able to. Instead, he looked away. "Tch…" he scoffed, his emotions fizzling out. "Stop talking like that. Don't act like you know what's going on in my head."

"But I'm not wrong," the Royal Knight spoke. "Am I?"

Dorbickmon merely lowered his gaze, continuing to glare into the battle that unfolded around them. Even as a beam whizzed by his head, he didn't move or react.

"…No…"

Examon looked up at Dorbickmon's reply. "So…" he said. "If you don't want to take revenge on me…"

"Then what's the point of me fighting here?" Dorbickmon finished with a frustrated grimace.

Examon nodded and walked towards Dorbickmon. "I really am sorry about everything, Dorbickmon…"

Dorbickmon gritted his teeth and turned so that his back was to Examon. "…I know," he answered.

A small smile formed on Examon's face.

Dorbickmon scoffed and glanced over his shoulder. Suddenly, shock formed on his face. He swung around to face Examon, looking past him.

Behind Examon was the charging, centaur-like form of a Zanbamon. He was from Kowloon Co., and he brandished a giant zanbato and a smaller katana. He intended on intervening in their fight and taking Examon down while his back was turned.

With a growl, Dorbickmon rushed forwards. Examon stiffened and became guarded, wondering if Dorbickmon had tricked him again or was still intent on being defiant. However, the dragon mercenary merely pushed past Examon's wing and summoned the Tyrant Collbrande in his hands in a giant flash of flames.

Examon turned around, moving his wing, and saw the Zanbamon charging him. To his shock, Dorbickmon stepped out in front of him and began charging the demon Digimon.

Dorbickmon scowled and dashed towards the Zanbamon, swinging the Tyrant Collbrande back behind him as he wound back for a strong swing.

"What?!" the Zanbamon demanded, seeing that Dorbickmon was making ready to attack him. He began to swipe down with his smaller sword.

Dorbickmon dodged the blade and countered swiftly. He swept the blazing broadsword clean through the Zanbamon's body, instantly reducing the mercenary to data. As the particles of data parted beside him, Dorbickmon turned around, sword in hand, and faced Examon, his form accented by the embers that drifted off of his sword,

"Dorbickmon…" Examon said with shock at his action, staring at Dorbickmon with wide, appreciative eyes.

"…Don't say anything," Dorbickmon muttered, looking away with embarrassment. He began to sheepishly walk back to Examon. "And quit looking at me like that! …Oh, Yeah. And pick up your weapon so you can actually defend yourself while you're at it. Cripes…"

Examon managed a smile and walked over to pick up the Ambrosius lance. Despite the pain surging through his body, he bent down and lugged up the heavy lance, gripping it in his hands.

Dorbickmon raised one of his bloodied arms and rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "So… what the hell happens now?" he asked, glancing at Examon before looking around at the battle surrounding them.

"You should get out of here," Examon told him, gazing around at the battle as well, trying to find the other Royal Knights and get an idea of how the battle was going.

"I don't like to back down from a fight. I've got a reputation to think of," Dorbickmon replied with a tiny grin.

"So, what do you sugg-"

Examon's words were drowned out by a thunderous roar reverberating across the clearing. Both Examon and Dorbickmon turned and saw a giant circle form in the sky.

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon: Ouryuken called out, his black form hovering in the air, beneath the glowing, magical circle.

From within the circle emerged a giant, glowing creature. It was draconic in nature and had a body of a shimmering, white aura, though it appeared to be solid in form. Its sheer size put even Wyvern and Hinukamui to shame. The monster roared as it swept out of the circle and descended towards DarkKnightmon on Alphamon's request.

"Shit. I'd hate to be DarkKnightmon right now," Dorbickmon spoke.

"Alphamon looks different… And his Digitalize of Soul attacks don't usually look like that…" Examon mused, watching as the creature that Alphamon summoned crashed into DarkKnightmon violently, tearing away large chucks of his armour and flesh.

DarkKnightmon tried resisting the indomitable attack but he eventually succumbed and was thrown to the ground viciously. The creature then turned its attention to several mercenaries who went to try and attack it. It swept its arm out and immediately atomized them in one broad stroke before disappearing. Alphamon slackened when the creature vanished; using Digitalize of Soul in that manner was incredibly tiring, especially if used for a prolonged amount of time.

"DarkKnightmon'll be feeling that later," Dorbickmon pointed out, watching as DarkKnightmon tried to pull himself up and as Alphamon: Ouryuken flew down to meet him with his sword.

Examon frowned and continued looking around. Magnamon, RhodoKnightmon, Craniamon, and Gankoomon were in the thick of the battle over to the east edge of the combat zone. Sleipmon still seemed to be over at the base of the World Tree, defending it and aiding where he could. He couldn't see UlforceVeedramon or Dukemon anywhere, nor could he see Omegamon. He saw Duftmon fire a beam of shadows into Kowloon's ranks when they attempted to regroup. He also saw Dynasmon in the thick of combat with MirageGaogamon not too far away.

"Examon!" a voiced called out.

Both Examon and Dorbickmon turned to see Dukemon and Grani hover down beside them. Dukemon's Aegis shield was glowing and pointed at Dorbickmon, as if it was brimming with an attack. Only one of the triangles in the circle pattern on the face of the shield was unlit.

"Is everything okay, Examon?" Dukemon asked, eyeing Dorbickmon suspiciously.

Examon smiled at Dukemon. "Yes… Dorbickmon has changed his ways."

Dorbickmon looked at him with one eye and rubbed the back of his sore neck. "I wish you wouldn't say it like that…"

Dukemon frowned and jumped off of Grani's back, landing in front of the mercenary. He stepped up to him and looked into his eyes with a mix of suspicion and warning. "Have you?"

Dorbickmon turned to face Dukemon and puffed his chest out. "I'm not trying to kill Examon anymore and I haven't attacked you on sight." He raised his hand and tapped Dukemon's visor with his claws. "Tin head."

"Smart idea," Dukemon retorted. "So I can trust you alone with Examon?"

"Yeah," Dorbickmon responded toughly. "I'm done with DarkKnightmon."

Dukemon narrowed his gold eyes as he leered at him. "Good to hear it… We'll be keeping an eye on you, just in case."

"I know. Just tell your hero friends not to attack me," Dorbickmon responded.

Dukemon turned and glanced at Examon. "You sure about him?"

Examon looked at Dorbickmon thoughtfully. "Yes… This time, I'm sure."

The crimson knight nodded. "In that case, be careful, you two."

"You too, Dukemon, Grani," Examon told them.

Dukemon lunged onto Grani's back. "We'll be around if you need us!" he called to Examon. "Let's go, Grani!"

"Good luck," Grani told them before flying off with Dukemon.

Examon watched as the knight and his mount flew away, quickly rejoining the battle and taking on the aerial mercenaries. After a few moments Examon readied his lance.

"You're still planning to fight?" Examon asked, glancing over at Dorbickmon.

Dorbickmon nodded over to the World Tree. "It's not the sort of battle you can just walk away from," he said in response.

"You're going to fight on whose side, exactly?" Examon followed up, eyeing Dorbickmon inquisitively.

"…My own side," Dorbickmon answered, turning and looking at Examon. When he saw by the look on Examon's face that that wasn't the answer that he was hoping to hear, Dorbickmon elaborated with an emphatic sigh. "Relax, I'm not going to beat up on the Royal Knights' forces if they leave me alone. But I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with Kowloon either."

"Then what's left?" Examon asked him.

Dorbickmon turned and nodded with his head into the distance. Examon pivoted to see what he was looking at, while still standing on guard to make sure that he wasn't going to be attacked again.

They watched as Alphamon and DarkKnightmon clashed on the ground. White and black power tore out from around them and all of the surrounding combatants made sure to give them a wide berth to avoid getting caught in their crossfire.

Alphamon swept the Ouryuken down on DarkKnightmon, who deftly dodged it. When the Ouryuken lodged itself into the ground, a fissure of energy sliced through the earth, creating a cascade of sediment and a deep rut in the ground. DarkKnightmon responded by driving his shoulder blade into Alphamon's armour and wing, shoving him back strongly. He then pushed him away and raised the Twin Spear to fire a beam of shadows at Alphamon's body.

The blast washed over Alphamon's body, but he quickly tore the Ouryuken out of the ground and cut through the shadowy pillar, tearing the shadows away from his form. Alphamon then rushed forwards and cut the sword across DarkKnightmon's battle-worn body, totally shattering the golden crest on his chest. As fragments of gold flew off DarkKnightmon's armour, he plunged the Twin Spear into Alphamon's side and fired. A destructive burst of shadows tore out and ripped through Alphamon's armour, burning his hip and exposing it to the elements.

Alphamon Ouryuken swung his poleaxe down and DarkKnightmon swept his lance outwards. The two weapons clashed and the strength of their collision sent a miniature shockwave out, just strong enough to blow their capes back. Despite the fact that each black knight had multiple wounds all over their bodies, they were still determined to fight on until their foe was defeated.

Examon turned and looked at Dorbickmon, to see why he was looking over there.

Dorbickmon's yellow and purple eye turned and looked at Examon. He smirked darkly. "I know one way to end this battle…" he said with a toothy grin. "Kill the guy who's going to pay everybody."

Examon frowned and looked over to the clashing knights. "…DarkKnightmon?" he asked him.

Dorbickmon grinned and nodded, wheeling the Tyrant Collbrande around in his claws. "Just leave it to me, bucket head," he told Examon.

"Dorbickmon…" Examon replied uncertainly. "I don't know about this…" Although he didn't say anything, Examon was still a bit apprehensive about Dorbickmon's loyalties, and worried that he might he considering attacking Alphamon instead. He really doubted it after everything that happened between, but Dorbickmon had fooled him before, so there were still a few traces of uncertainty.

"Trust me," Dorbickmon told him. "I've been handling myself fine long before you came around again."

Without giving Examon a chance to reply, Dorbickmon gripped the Tyrant Collbrande and began walking towards the clashing knights.

Examon began to go after him, but a beam of energy pierced through the air in between Dorbickmon and Examon, stopping the dragon knight from following him. He turned and saw that the beam had come from MirageGaogamon, who continued to fight Dynasmon nearby. Examon frowned and flapped the Caledfwlch wings, flying upwards and watching Dynasmon fight with MirageGaogamon, as well as Dorbickmon.

Dynasmon was covered with slash marks and his armour was cleaved in several places. MirageGaogamon was in a very similar state; his cape was in tatters and his armour looked like scrap metal. MirageGaogamon was faster, but Dynasmon was much stronger.

As Examon kept an eye on the three of them, he went back to sniping the enemy mercenaries with lasers and shells.

Meanwhile, Dorbickmon ran across the battlefield, knocking down whoever tried to get in his way. Despite this, he refrained from killing them, instead just using his incredible strength to shove them aside.

He closed on the two, growing closer to the clearing in which they battled. Dorbickmon watched as the two swung their weapons again and clashed metal in an intense lock of metal and sparks. He gripped the blazing Tyrant Collbrande tightly in his right hand and began to stalk towards the two warriors.

He had to be careful. Alphamon would immediately regard him as an enemy, and DarkKnightmon would have his guard up when he saw Dorbickmon's weapon. As a result, Dorbickmon slowly approached from directly behind DarkKnightmon, who was obstructing Alphamon's view.

Dorbickmon shadowed DarkKnightmon, stealthily edging towards him with his flickering blade.

"Even though you have OuRyuumon's power, I'm still strong," DarkKnightmon told Alphamon: Ouryuken, narrowing his cold eyes at his foe as each struggled for dominance by pushing against one another's blade. "Doesn't that show you how weak you both are?"

"Together, he and I are stronger," Alphamon countered, pushing harder against DarkKnightmon's Twin Spear. "It's the same with Omegamon and I… and all of the other Royal Knights as well!" He sneered and began to push the lance back, attempting to breach DarkKnightmon's defence. "Isn't it the same with you and DeadlyAxemon as well?!"

"Yes, but we're strong together because we are powerful!" DarkKnightmon said with a grunt, pushing hard against the Ouryuken and forcing him back just slightly. "We complement each other. You and OuRyuumon couldn't be a worse partnership. Have you already forgotten his lies and lack of morals?!"

"No," Alphamon answered, glaring. "But he's willing to change. And so am I. The ability to change and adapt is a great strength. However, you're fixated solely on your changing the Digital World to the way that you want it. You're not willing to bend or adapt at all, DarkKnightmon. Is that strength?"

"Is giving up in the face of adversity strength?" DarkKnightmon countered with his own question. "I thought determination was supposed to be admirable."

"We both want the same thing, DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon shouted with frustration as sparks flew between them from their grinding weapons. "Why are we fighting at all?!"

"Alright then! If that's the case, tell your Royal Knights and soldiers to throw down their arms and kneel before me!" DarkKnightmon challenged.

Alphamon grunted and narrowed his eyes, giving DarkKnightmon his answer.

"You see? You won't," DarkKnightmon told him. "This isn't all my fault. We both want the same thing, but you only want peace on your own terms. You want _me_ to submit to _you_, but you have no intentions of submitting to me, even if it meant peace."

"How can I?" Alphamon protested. "Submitting to you would be the end of the Order. It would be the end of more than just that."

"Then you can see why I can't submit to you," DarkKnightmon responded. "I would be betraying the Digimon of this world."

"You've convinced yourself that the Order is an obstruction or an enemy! You're ignoring all the good that we're doing!"

"It isn't enough!"

As they quarrelled, Dorbickmon slowly crept up on DarkKnightmon, closing in on him as his back was turned. The Tyrant Collbrande blazed in his claws as he stalked towards DarkKnightmon with fiery eyes. He stealthily raised his arms and poised the sword, aiming the tip at the center of DarkKnightmon's back.

DarkKnightmon continued struggling against Alphamon. He had been unaware of what was going on behind him, but he soon began to feel a nearby heat against his back. Wondering what it was, he angled the Twin Spear slightly and saw the shimmering of fire reflected in the metal. His face darkened.

"…MirageGaogamon!" he suddenly shouted loudly. "Dragon Down!"

"What?" Alphamon: Ouryuken questioned, frowning with confusion. He shifted his body slightly, expecting to be ambushed by MirageGaogamon. When he did so, he suddenly grew incredulous upon seeing Dorbickmon from over DarkKnightmon's shoulder, preparing to stab him from behind.

MirageGaogamon stopped mid-slash when the code words reached his sensitive ears. He turned his attention away from Dynasmon and turned around immediately, looking towards DarkKnightmon.

That was when he saw Dorbickmon preparing to strike. His wide eyes soon narrowed with hate. Fury coursed through MirageGaogamon's body at the sight of Dorbickmon betraying DarkKnightmon and getting ready to kill him. Completely ignoring Dynasmon, MirageGaogamon took off in a flash of blue, racing towards Dorbickmon and DarkKnightmon.

"HEY!" Dynasmon shouted after him, but he was soon accosted by a nearby mercenary whom he blasted apart with his hand laser.

Examon looked over upon hearing the words resound. His body stiffened when he saw Dorbickmon getting ready to attack DarkKnightmon. He immediately looked down to try to locate MirageGaogamon where he remembered seeing him fight Dynasmon. However, all he could see was a streak of azure heading towards Dorbickmon.

"No!" Examon snarled, aiming his lance at the ultra fast Digimon. He fired a Pendragon's Glory attack from the muzzle of the lance. The laser crashed down towards MirageGaogamon, but hit right behind him, unable to hit something of such speed at such short notice. An explosion blossomed up but MirageGaogamon was undeterred.

Dorbickmon plunged the Tyrant Collbrande towards DarkKnightmon's back. "DIE!" he shouted, shoving the massive blade forwards, burning through DarkKnightmon's cape and into his armour.

But Dorbickmon suddenly stopped.

Dorbickmon felt a stabbing pain in his back and chest, causing him to halt in his tracks. He released a breathy grunt and felt the warmth of blood trickle down his chest from the white-hot sensations that he suddenly felt inside of him. Dorbickmon looked down and saw three long blades sticking out of his chest diagonally. The claws were coated with his blood, which proceeded to trickle down his back and chest scales.

Dorbickmon's eyes slowly widened with rage, pain, and disbelief as he realized what had happened. Through the indescribable agony, he managed to sense a presence behind him that he hadn't been able to notice just seconds earlier.

"I always knew you couldn't be trusted," a voice whispered in his ear, "mercenary scum…"

MirageGaogamon stood behind him, one of his bladed gauntlets embedded in Dorbickmon's back, running him clean through.

Examon's eyes widened with horror when he saw this.

A low, incomprehensible, snarl of rage and agony escaped Dorbickmon's throat and he looked forwards at DarkKnightmon as the Tyrant Collbrande began to vanish in a wisp of flames. "You… You… bast…tard…" he struggled to growl.

"I always expected this to happen at some point, Dorbickmon," DarkKnightmon calmly explained, too focused on Alphamon to bother looking over his shoulder at him. "It was just a matter of getting you before you got me…"

Dorbickmon's wild eyes burned with wrath. "…Fu-!? RRAAGH!" He was cut off by his own roar of utter pain when MirageGaogamon ripped the claw blades out of his back, sending more blood streaming out. Dorbickmon just stood still, breathing heavily, his form wracked with anguish. As his blood dropped to the grass, he stared at DarkKnightmon's back blankly. His muscles went increasingly slack.

"You received exactly what you were due," MirageGaogamon told him. He raised his gauntlets up and crossed them in front of his chest, preparing to finish Dorbickmon off. "I'm glad that it was me who DarkKnightmon tasked with killing you, should the need arise."

Dorbickmon's eyes narrowed and a pained hiss escaped his tightened mouth. He awaited the final strike.

"Dorbickmon!" A voice shouted behind him. "Avalon's Gate!"

Examon flew through the air with a cold determination, speeding towards them. He aimed down the length of the Ambrosius as he soared. Next, he pulled the trigger.

A round exploded from the end of the Ambrosius and plummeted down. The shell canister exploded on contact with MirageGaogamon's back, unleashing a torrent of electricity. The current coursed through MirageGaogamon's plate armour, electrocuting him.

MirageGaogamon let out a howl as the electricity flooded through his body, causing his muscles to contract and spasm. He arched his back and uncrossed his arms with pain.

Dorbickmon managed to turn his head and glance over his shoulder upon hearing Examon's voice. He watched with shock as MirageGaogamon behind him was subjected to his attack.

A sudden fire reignited within Dorbickmon's badly wounded body. Seeing an opportunity, he unleashed an unearthly roar and summoned the Tyrant Collbrande in his hand in a huge inferno. With a sudden second wind, fueled solely by rage and adrenaline, Dorbickmon spun around and raised the Tyrant Collbrande high over his head. He swung the burning toward and brought it down on MirageGaogamon.

The Tyrant Collbrande impacted MirageGaogamon's shoulder with enough strength to knock him to his knees. The blade cleaved through his shoulder and tore down into his chest, stopping at the center of the wolf snout in the middle of his form.

MirageGaogamon released an incredulous, agonized breath as he observed the blazing Tyrant Collbrande embedded in his body, the fiery edge right in his digicore.

At this, DarkKnightmon looked over his shoulder and stopped.

Dorbickmon grunted as the adrenaline began to wear off. The Tyrant Collbrande extinguished in both his hands and MirageGaogamon's body. Weakness overtook him; his trembling legs gave out and he fell to his hands and knees, panting haggardly. Blood dripped from the holes in his body and saliva trickled from his tongue, but despite this, the dragon man looked up and glared at MirageGaogamon.

Blood flowed out of MirageGaogamon's gaping wound, matting his fur and armour. Unable to use his left arm any more, he raised his right one. He gazed at DarkKnightmon and extended his hand towards him weakly.

"DarkKnightmon…" he breathed. He watched as his data began to fragment and float away from his extended arm. "I wished… that…"

MirageGaogamon's features dulled and his body slowly slackened. His clawed hand dropped limply to his side and he hunched forwards slightly. His body then fractured into a mass of data and floated away on the breeze.

DarkKnightmon watched with an unreadable expression as MirageGaogamon died and his data dispersed. "_…Mirage… Gaogamon…_" he thought to himself.

His gaze hardened and he released a furious shout. DarkKnightmon railed against Alphamon, slashing through his defences and throwing him back. "Twin Spear!" he shouted, unleashing a blast from his spear into Alphamon's body.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Examon landed beside Dorbickmon, whose limbs trembled with pain.<p>

"Examon… Damn it…" Dorbickmon grunted, glancing over at him.

"You… You need to lie down," Examon told him, his usually steady voice trembling. He took hold of Dorbickmon's arm and slowly laid him down on his side before flipping him onto his back.

Dorbickmon released a sharp groan of pain as his back pressed against the ground. "Rrrgh! D-Damn… Shit…" he breathed and swore, slowly reaching up and clutching the holes on his chest.

"Don't move, Dorbickmon," Examon ordered, taking his wrist and forcing his arm back down. "You're too hurt."

Dorbickmon exhaled and slowly shook his head. "I'm… finished…" he said aloud. He then managed a short chuckle that was cut short by a surge of pain shooting through his body. "Hah…! Just I was… turning over a new leaf too… Can you believe it?" Dorbickmon asked, looking up at Examon. "What… a bitch of a… situation… that I end up like this… with you…"

Examon grimaced and pressed his hands down on the holes in Dorbickmon's chest. "No… I won't let you die!" he proclaimed.

"What are you talking about…?" Dorbickmon asked him. "Get out of here. Leave me…"

Examon's eyes widened as a stray beam streamed towards them. It tore along the ground and closed in towards them. The Royal Knight extended his massive Caledfwlch wings and curled them around himself and Dorbickmon, cocooning them inside. The beam slammed into the armoured exterior of the wing and deflected off, spreading out into the nearby dirt.

The Royal Knight winced at the attack, but kept his wings around himself and Dorbickmon even as the beam faded. He shielded them within the armoured dome.

Dorbickmon looked up at Examon. "What are you doing…?" he asked weakly, still feeling his hands on the bloody, crimson scales of his chest.

Examon gazed down into Dorbickmon's eyes with a look of resolve. "I'm staying…" he answered. "This time… I'm not going to leave you." He pressed down firmly on the wounds to staunch the bleeding and stared at Dorbickmon with a steadfast resolve in his emerald gaze. "I'm going to stay by your side, Dorbickmon…"

Dorbickmon stared at Examon in wordless disbelief. He didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it and turned his head weakly, looking away.

"…Shit. You Royal Knights and your morals…" Dorbickmon said, staring away from Examon. If it weren't so dark in the shield of wings, Examon may have been able to see the gracious, emotional smile on Dorbickmon's face.

The Royal Knight just had to make do with staying by Dorbickmon's side and keeping him alive. Within the protective barrier of the Caledfwlch, Examon remained with him.

This time, Examon would make sure that his friend was alright…

* * *

><p>Alphamon fired a strong Digitalize of Soul beam at DarkKnightmon as the former Royal Knight charged him. DarkKnightmon dashed to the side, narrowly evading it as the stream of emerald energy passed beside him.<p>

DarkKnightmon kicked off the ground powerfully and lunged into the air. He raised the Twin Spear over his head and plunged the tip of the crimson lance down at Alphamon.

Seeing DarkKnightmon descend on him, Alphamon brought the Ouryuken up and blocked the stab using the flat side of the axe. With a grunt of might, Alphamon pulled the Ouryuken outwards, throwing DarkKnightmon back. Despite being repulsed, DarkKnightmon aimed the Twin Spear and unleashed a surge of darkness. The beam of black and violet slammed into Alphamon explosively.

However, Alphamon wasn't easily deterred. After a few seconds, he burst through the shadows and spread his golden wings, flying towards DarkKnightmon. DarkKnightmon flipped back and landed on the ground, ready to meet the charge.

The Ouryuken sung as it swept through the air and fell onto DarkKnightmon. The Twin Spear rose up at an angle and contended against the powerful holy sword, forcing the blade to slide against the thick, crimson metal of the lance.

"You would have your own companion killed?" Alphamon asked him, glaring into DarkKnightmon's eyes as they fought against the other's defences.

"He tried to betray me," DarkKnightmon responded calmly, his eyes glowing red as they returned Alphamon's stare. "It was either him or me."

"And what of MirageGaogamon?!" Alphamon demanded. "Is all of this worth it?!"

DarkKnightmon sneered behind his helmet and broke through Alphamon's swing. "MirageGaogamon was aware of the risks!" he told Alphamon.

He rushed forwards and plunged the Twin Spear into Alphamon's left wing, piercing through the golden feathers. Alphamon unleashed a sharp cry of pain but he swiftly placed his left hand on DarkKnightmon's chest and fired a point blank Digitalize of Soul attack against him. DarkKnightmon was thrown back but stayed on his feet, skidding along the ground.

DarkKnightmon leered coldly at his former friend as smoke rose up from his chest. "Don't moralize at me, Alphamon. You can end this battle too, but you choose not to. Put your morals where your mouth is."

"If it were just me, then I would," Alphamon replied, ignoring the droplets of blood trickling down his feathers. "But I have other Digimon to think of. I'm the leader of the Royal Knights."

"Not for much longer," DarkKnightmon countered, sprinting across the ground towards Alphamon.

Alphamon sneered and grabbed the Ouryuken with both hands, swinging the heavy weapon out horizontally as DarkKnightmon closed in. DarkKnightmon jumped up just in time, passing over the blade and the resulting blast of wind that swept across the battlefield. He swung his leg and drive his bladed foot into Alphamon's masked face.

Alphamon grunted and staggered back a couple steps, thrown off balance by the blow. He could see DarkKnightmon rush towards him and thrust the Twin Spear towards his chest. Acting quickly, he dug his boot into the earth and pushed forwards. He pivoted his body so that the Twin Spear brushed against the side of his fractured armour. He used a back swing and stabbed the jagged spear end of the Ouryuken into DarkKnightmon's shoulder, tearing a cry of pain from the dissenting knight.

"It's over, DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon told him passionately. "Give in! Your forces are losing! MirageGaogamon's dead! Dorbickmon isn't with you anymore and Omegamon's been saved!"

"Wh-What?!" DarkKnightmon demanded through the searing pain coursing through his arm. His gaze went cold and dark at those last words. "How… How did you…?"

"You can't force somebody to do what you want them to do," Alphamon told him. "It has to be _their_ decision, DarkKnightmon. That's why I can't condone what you want to do."

DarkKnightmon growled and grabbed hold of the Ouryuken's hilt with his free hand. "Omegamon's… always been your lapdog. He's stubborn, naïve, loyal… What is it about _you_, Alphamon? What makes them always side with you? Why are you the leader? What is so bloody special about _you_?"

Before Alphamon could think of a reply, DarkKnightmon gripped the Ouryuken tighter and forcibly pulled it out of his shoulder in a burst of blood. Undeterred by the pain, he drove his bladed knee straight into Alphamon's groin, forcing the Royal Knight to hunch over with agony. DarkKnightmon then drove his fist into Alphamon's face.

"This isn't over until I say so."

Alphamon released a snarl as his face numbed and he stumbled back. Unable to effectively swing the Ouryuken at that close of a range and in that post-swing position, he instead raised his left hand, which radiated energy from his palm. "Digitalize of Soul!"

DarkKnightmon dashed to the side as the beam ripped towards him. He plunged the Twin Spear into the part of Alphamon's armour that had been blown away by previous attacks. The tip of the lance pierced Alphamon's exposed side and exited his skin.

Alphamon gave a deep snarl of pain and grabbed hold of the Twin Spear so that it wouldn't go any deeper. He lowered his gaze and glared at DarkKnightmon.

"You think that softness and kindness is all you need… Alphamon…" DarkKnightmon told him. He gripped the Twin Spear tightly and it began to crackle with dark power. "They may be able to get you many friends, but, in the end, they will walk all over you. The only thing that Digimon truly respect is firm, resolute power."

DarkKnightmon moved his face close to Alphamon's, leering his glowing eyes into his. The Twin Spear began to course with darkness. "Prove to me that you're strong, Alphamon."

Alphamon sneered with pain and effort. "DarkKnightmon…" He swung the Ouryuken over his head, arcing it around and bringing it down for a mighty blow.

"Twin Spear!"

"Kyukyoku Senjin Ouryuken!"

A massive explosion of darkness, light, and wind exploded between them. The resulting shockwave blew them away from one another and sent dirt flying up all around the area.

Alphamon: Ouryuken and DarkKnightmon both flew through the air and crashed to the ground violently, skidding along the grass and mud. When the smoke began to clear, Alphamon's body became engulfed in light. Alphamon: Ouryuken separated into Alphamon and OuRyuumon; they were unable to provide the massive amount of energy required to sustain the ultra powerful form any longer, especially as their jogress was already shaky to begin with. Both Alphamon and OuRyuumon lay side by side, both very badly wounded.

DarkKnightmon wasn't in much better shape. He had wounds and bruises all over his body, and his armour was fractured. Despite this, DarkKnightmon forced himself to rise. As he stood, metal, blood, and earth fell from his body.

Alphamon released a groan and opened his eyes slowly. He turned his head and looked to his side, where he saw OuRyuumon lying beside him. "OuRyuumon…" he spoke.

OuRyuumon didn't respond. He was unconscious.

Alphamon slowly sat up in spite of the bloody wound in his side. The Royal Knight released a pained snarl of effort as he dragged himself to his feet. Upon standing up, he saw that DarkKnightmon was rising as well.

DarkKnightmon propped himself up on the Twin Spear and stared across the smoking, battle-ravaged clearing at Alphamon.

The Lord of the Empty Seat slowly raised his right hand and reached into a small, magical circle, pulling the Seiken Gradalpha out in a flash of light. DarkKnightmon stood up straight, proudly, and raised the Twin Spear into a battle stance. Each knight stared wordlessly into the other's eyes.

They both knew that this was it. They were both beaten down so much; they had been skilled in fighting long enough for them to realize that this final clash would likely be the decisive one.

DarkKnightmon raised his boot, taking a step forwards.

Alphamon did the same.

The two, black knights began to walk towards one another. Then they started to pick up the pace into a jog. Soon, they were running at each other.

DarkKnightmon held the Twin Spear at his side, gripping it loosely in his hand as he ran.

Alphamon clutched the Seiken Gradalpha in both of his hands, holding it low and pointing it at DarkKnightmon as he charged towards him.

They bolted across the clearing to meet each other. Alphamon poised his sword carefully as he ran, getting ready to aim his impending thrust. DarkKnightmon raised the Twin Spear slightly, his cold, glowing, yellow eyes glinted in the morning light, concealing his machinations. As they began to close the distance between each other, they were unobstructed by any of the other fighters. Except for one.

DarkKnightmon's eyes narrowed, fixated on Alphamon's hands. He gripped the Twin Spear tightly and smirked cunningly behind his helmet. His form began to glow with the light of evolution. "Xros… Ope-"

"Garuru Cannon," a voice spoke from out to the side of them.

Omegamon stood at the side of the clearing, hobbling with pain and weakness. In spite of this, he raised the Garuru Cannon and aimed it at DarkKnightmon from behind. The cannon pulsed with bright blue energy.

As the orb of freezing power soared towards DarkKnightmon, Omegamon watched on sadly. "You're wrong, DarkKnightmon…" he spoke wistfully. "There _is_ strength in kindness…"

The blast slammed into DarkKnightmon's left arm and back, interrupting his shrewd Xros Open tactic that he employed to get the better of Alphamon's charge. DarkKnightmon let out a shout of surprise and pain as the ice detonated against his back, throwing him off balance and causing him to stumble as he and Alphamon closed on each other.

Alphamon watched as the icy mist billowed out from the explosion behind DarkKnightmon. However, they were already closing in on DarkKnightmon. His combat instincts had already kicked in and he had to act.

The two collided with each other. Alphamon released a shout and thrust his sword of light forwards.

DarkKnightmon tried to right himself and plunge his lance into Alphamon.

The Twin Spear shattered Alphamon's shoulder armour, piercing through it and embedding itself deep into Alphamon's shoulder.

The Seiken Gradalpha stabbed into the center of DarkKnightmon's chest. The long, white blade pierced through his body and emerged out of DarkKnightmon's back, burning through his black cape.

Alphamon and DarkKnightmon grew still.

With wide, red eyes, Alphamon looked down at DarkKnightmon. He saw the Seiken Gradalpha impaling him.

DarkKnightmon's eyes were wide as well. He could feel the burning sensation of light throughout his chest as well as the agonizing pressure of the sword inside him. With a weak breath, he slowly pulled the Twin Spear from Alphamon's shoulder and allowed it to drop to the ground. His glowing eyes dulled and he looked from Alphamon's hand, which still clutched the sword, up to Alphamon's distraught eyes.

"You win again…" DarkKnightmon told him weakly.

"DarkKnightmon!" Alphamon shouted with distress, letting the Seiken Gradalpha fade away and disappear from within DarkKnightmon's chest.

DarkKnightmon's legs gave out and he began to fall. Alphamon dropped to his knees and caught DarkKnightmon in his arms, holding him tightly and staring at him with sorrow and guilt.

"DarkKnightmon… I…" Alphamon whispered, clutching DarkKnightmon's shoulders tightly. His regretful eyes bore into DarkKnightmon's.

A deep exhale escaped DarkKnightmon's mouth and he slowly raised his head to meet Alphamon's gaze. "You… went through with it, Alphamon…" he told him. There was a hint of pride in his voice. "You… _are_ strong, after all…"

Alphamon shut his eyes tightly and pulled DarkKnightmon into a firm hug. "I'm… sorry…" he told him as bits of DarkKnightmon's data began to fly off of his form.

DarkKnightmon slowly raised his hands and pressed them onto Alphamon's hips. "Don't be…" he whispered with a hoarse gentleness. "There… is hope… for the Digital World… after all…"

Alphamon opened his eyes and stared into DarkKnightmon's with shock and pain. His red eyes grew moist with tears. "I… never wanted this to happen…" he told him sorrowfully.

"You can't change that, Alphamon… Just move on from it…" DarkKnightmon explained, gazing up into Alphamon's heartbroken face, watching as his own glowing data floated up past Alphamon's body. "Move on… and promise me… that you will make this Digital World better… Make it a place of goodness… and light…" He weakly raised his hand up Alphamon's body and placed it on Alphamon's wounded shoulder, gripping it.

"…I promise…" Alphamon answered. He stared at DarkKnightmon with a grief-stricken wince, fighting back the tears in his eyes.

DarkKnightmon pulled his face towards Alphamon's and whispered.

"If anybody can do it…it's you, old friend…"

Alphamon pulled DarkKnightmon closer into the hug, but as he did, DarkKnightmon's body burst into data. The Lord of the Empty Seat was left embracing nothing but air and data particles, which floated away from his grasp and into the air.

He was still.

After a few moments, he bent forwards and silently pulled his arms against his armoured chest as DarkKnightmon's data faded away. A shaky breath escaped Alphamon's mouth. His tears rolled down his face and fell to the ground.

Omegamon walked over to him and stared at Alphamon. There were tears resting in the corners of his grimacing eyes as well.

The white knight slowly kneeled down in front of Alphamon and pulled him close, rubbing Alphamon's back as he quietly sobbed. Alphamon wrapped his arms around his friend tightly and squeezed his caped back. Omegamon closed his eyes, causing one of his tears to drop onto Alphamon's tattered cape.

"It's over now…" Omegamon said softly.

The two Royal Knights held each other and remained in the vestiges of DarkKnightmon's data. Around them, the battle finally began to die down…

* * *

><p>(Author's Notes: Okay, everybody! Just the wind-down chapter and the epilogue left. I'll probably post them together in two weeks since they're not very long. Then exams will be done and I can focus on writingposting the sequel.)


	41. Chapter 30: After Action Report

(Author's Notes: Semester done. Stay tuned for the epilogue in a few minutes. Enjoy!

Also, at Solsabre, I can't reply to you via PM since that's an anonymous account, so I'll do it here. Thanks! I think/hope you'll be pleased by the sequel. As for the RPGs, they exist over in the archives of Serebii forums, but they're really old and they're discontinued. Civil War, it's sequel Dark Reign, and Unholy Crusade were all completed, but Devil's Ascent - the sequel to Unholy Crusade - died halfway through. If you have a fanfiction account I can try and PM you the links, if you want. Thanks for the review.)

**Chapter 30: After Action Report**

An hour passed…

The Battle of the World Tree was over.

When DarkKnightmon had been killed, the battle had already been against the mercenaries thanks to the skills of the Royal Knights and their soldiers. However, it hadn't been without a price.

Many of the Order's Digimon had been deleted during the battle, and not a single Digimon was without some sort of injury. However, the mercenaries' losses had been much more severe.

Most of the surviving mercenaries had been taken prisoner, although a handful had managed to flee. The prisoners were currently being rounded into manageable groups and were put under the watch of guards.

Alphamon strode across the battlefield. Although the sadness, guilt, and regret of DarkKnightmon's death didn't leave him, he knew that he had to put that aside and step back into his role of leader.

He looked around him. The clearing, once full of verdant grass and vibrant flowers, was now a mess of dirt, ash, stone, ruts, and craters. Even many of the trees around the edge of the clearing had been felled and even completely deleted.

The World Tree itself was intact, but not without damage. The trunk had a multitude of burns and gashes along its exterior, and several branches had been torn down during the fighting. However, the massive, sky-reaching tree remained standing.

The badly wounded were being taken to an impromptu field hospital over at the bottom of the World Tree. The combat medics of the Strike and Defence Forces – Digimon who had healing abilities – healed the Digimon to the best of their ability until Duskmon and his team of physicians could arrive. The severely wounded were being given first priority, while the walking wounded would have to wait their turn.

Fortunately, the Warrior Ten, the Four Holy Beasts, and most of the Devas (except for Sinduramon, who was still trapped in a tavern basement) showed up not long after the battle ended, and they offered their assistance where they could.

"Take those prisoners over there," Alphamon ordered some of his soldiers. "And make sure that they're disarmed."

When they complied, Alphamon began making his way over to where most of the Royal Knights were gathered. They were collected around the northern part of the base of the World Tree. Some of them were leaning against the trunk while others were lying down. All were there except for Omegamon. Each of them had dents or gashes in their armour, as well as cuts on various places on their bodies. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode was with them, sitting against the tree.

"Hey, Alphamon…" UlforceVeedramon greeted, clutching the wound in his abdomen.

MarineAngemon, AKA AncientMermaidmon of the Warrior Ten, turned around and looked Alphamon up down. "You look just as bad as the rest of these guys," she observed with a half smile. "And I'm guessing you don't want any healing either. I'm starting to get offended, y'know."

"Really, we're fine," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode insisted, albeit with a wince on his face. "Just focus on the badly wounded."

"He's right," Alphamon said to her. "Thank you all the same. I think we'll all be fine for awhile longer."

"The Ulforce is taking care of me just fine," UlforceVeedramon explained, referring to the overwrite sequence he possessed that heals his data rather expediently.

MarineAngemon rolled her eyes. "Guys…" she muttered, shaking her head. "You're all as bad as the ones in the Warrior Ten." With that, the Warrior of Water floated over to the field hospital.

"How are all of you?" Alphamon asked them, looking at each of them.

"We'll live," Dukemon replied, clutching a gash along his bicep. The other Royal Knights nodded with agreement.

"Where's Omegamon?" Magnamon asked, sitting on the ground against Dynasmon, keeping pressure on a long cut in his stomach.

"I'm not sure. He said he had to take care of something about thirty minutes ago," Alphamon replied. He looked around at the Royal Knights. His eyes rested on Examon. "How is your friend, Examon?"

"He's undergoing a heavy healing treatment," Examon explained, his calm voice betraying a hint of worry. "MirageGaogamon missed his heart and digicore, so they are optimistic."

"That lizard should be a prisoner of war," Duftmon spoke up, frowning deeply. "He was happy to attack us at the start of the battle before the tides turned against him."

Examon glanced over at Duftmon. He couldn't be too annoyed at him because he knew that he was right. It was only natural that they would be suspicious of him, but Examon was positive that Dorbickmon had changed for the better.

"Hey, Examon did talk him around," Sleipmon countered, looking over at Duftmon.

"Dorbickmon attacked DarkKnightmon right in front of me," Alphamon said with a frown. "He certainly seemed genuine."

"But can he be trusted?" RhodoKnightmon asked, clutching a wound on his side.

"The enemy of my enemy does not necessarily make my friend," Duftmon concurred.

"But he _is_ Examon's friend," Dukemon argued. "I saw them just talking for awhile during the battle. I believe that Examon got through to him."

Examon nodded. "I'm… certain that I did," he responded. "Dorbickmon has changed."

"I hope you're right," Duftmon said sceptically.

Craniamon shrugged dismissively. "How's OuRyuumon?" he asked, looking over at Alphamon.

"Stable… He'll be okay," Alphamon responded, relief gracing his words.

"DarkKnightmon really took some chunks out of him, didn't he?" Dukemon asked, folding his arms.

Dynasmon frowned at the mention of DarkKnightmon's name. He looked up at Alphamon with a heavy gaze. "…Did DarkKnightmon really…?"

Alphamon grimaced and looked away, knowing what Dynasmon was asking him. He then nodded. "Yes…" he said remorsefully. "I…"

Magnamon, Dukemon and Dynasmon all looked down with varying degrees of sadness and regret.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode eyed Alphamon quietly. He stood up and placed his hand on Alphamon's wing. "There were only two ways it could have ended… Him or you…" he reassured him. "I know that you did all that you could."

"Even so…" Alphamon murmured. He closed his eyes and sighed, turning towards Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "…You should not be standing."

"That's the Alphamon calling the kettle black," Imperialdramon replied with a small smile, gesturing to Alphamon's wounded body.

Alphamon managed a soft grin and made to sit down. However, the group turned when they noticed somebody striding towards them.

Gankoomon marched through the smoke and made his way over to the World Tree. "Yo," he greeted with a nonchalant wave. He had several cuts on his body as well.

"Gankoomon…" Alphamon said, turning to face him fully. He stepped up to him and extended his hand. "I want to thank you. You didn't have to aid us in this battle, but you really helped us out a lot."

Gankoomon looked at Alphamon with surprise. He glanced down at his extended hand and took it firmly, shaking it. Gankoomon smirked and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well… You guys really lived up to all the hype," he admitted, glancing away somewhat. "I think I might have been wrong about you. This Order of yours was actually pretty impressive today."

"Were you impressed enough to consider joining us?" Alphamon asked him with a grin.

Gankoomon chuckled. "Yeah, I-" He stopped and blinked incredulously. "Huh?"

"Wh-WHAT?!" Duftmon protested.

"Shut it, Duftmon," Dynasmon said, looking up at him with a grin. "He definitely has the skills."

"He's okay," Craniamon admitted, although he was secretly impressed as well.

"He is _not_ 'okay'!" Duftmon protested. "Shouldn't you consult us first, Alphamon?"

"Knighting new Royal Knights _is_ Alphamon's prerogative," Magnamon reminded him.

Gankoomon ignored Duftmon's protests and rubbed the back of his neck. "I… uh…" he stammered, visibly flummoxed. "You… really caught me off guard here… Can I… get back to you? There're some things I need to consider first…"

"Take as much time as you need," Alphamon told him.

"Gankoomon!" a voice called out from nearby. They turned and saw a youthful dragon Digimon dashing around some of the Strike Forces and running up to Gankoomon. "You're covered with wounds!" he observed, looking up and down at Gankoomon.

"Huckmon?" Gankoomon asked with an annoyed frown. "What the hell? I told you not to come here. It's dangerous!"

"I know, but-" Huckmon immediately stopped when he recognized the Digimon surrounding Gankoomon. His eyes widened and blood surged into his cheeks. "The… The… The… The… R-Royal… Knights…" he said with full, awestruck eyes. "You're… the Royal Knights…"

Gankoomon raised an eyebrow. "Oh… Yeah. The kid's a huge fan of you all," he explained.

"I-I'm not a kid!" Huckmon protested. Despite his blushing face, he craned his head up and puffed his chest out, wanting to make himself look impressive. "I can evolve to my BaoHuckmon form!"

"Are you two related?" Dynasmon asked, although he noticed no similar characteristics between them.

"No. He's my squire, I guess," Gankoomon explained. "He's one of the things I need to consider. So are they." He pointed over to the two Sistermons, who came running over after Huckmon.

"There you are!" Sistermon Noir said, running over and picking up the still starry-eyed Huckmon. "I told you not to run off!"

"N-No, you didn't," Sistermon Blanc protested, glancing at her dark-clothed counterpart. "You wanted an excuse to come here. S-Sorry about this, Gankoomon, sir."

"Big mouth," Sistermon Noir muttered.

"Anyways… Yeah," Gankoomon said, scratching his cheek. "Us four would have to come as a package. I'm responsible for them, so if I was to join…"

"…Join…?" Huckmon asked, his jaw dropping.

"We have plenty of room at the castle," Alphamon assured him.

"Still, give me some time to think about it," Gankoomon replied. He turned and began to walk away. "I'd better get these three out of here before they start causing trouble and hurting themselves. I'll be in touch."

"Very well," Alphamon said to him, watching as Gankoomon began heading away with the Sistermons and Huckmon in tow.

"Wait! Gankoomon! Go back! You have to join! Do it! Doitdoitdoitdoitdoit! Please!" Huckmon pleaded, continuing to do so until his voice faded from the Royal Knights' earshot.

The Royal Knights turned away as Gankoomon disappeared within the crowd of Digimon. Duftmon looked over at Alphamon sceptically. "Really, Alphamon?" he asked. "Him?"

"Don't prejudge him, Duftmon," Alphamon replied, turning and placing his winged back against the World Tree. He felt a sigh of relief as he was able to take some of the pressure off of his aching, stinging limbs and body. "Be… open-minded. Sleipmon and Examon turned out to be assets despite your initial misgivings."

Duftmon folded his arms and looked away. "That's debateable."

"Gee, thanks," Sleipmon mumbled.

"He's humanoid. What have you got to complain about?" Dukemon asked the tactician with a wry smile.

"There is more to being a Royal Knight than just being humanoid!" Duftmon protested.

At this, a stunned silence overtook the Royal Knights.

"…Did anybody record that?!" UlforceVeedramon asked with an excited smile. "Is there a Monitamon around here?!"

Sleipmon smiled and looked over at Examon. "Hey, it looks like we've been legitimized now, Examon."

Examon smirked. "Sure seems that way…"

"What?" Duftmon asked, blinking. "I… I didn't so much as… Ugh! Fools!"

Alphamon smiled slightly. "Relax, Duftmon. I think Gankoomon will be an ass…" He paused when he noticed Omegamon walking towards them uncertainly. "…et to the team," he finished.

"Omegamon!" Magnamon exclaimed ecstatically, jumping to his feet as the white knight approached.

"Hey, Omega," Dynasmon greeted with a relieved smile.

"How are you doing?" Dukemon asked him.

"Feeling okay?" Sleipmon added.

As he was bombarded by relief and concern, Omegamon blushed and looked down at the ground sheepishly. He didn't feel worthy to receive their affection and kindness after everything that he had done as Omegamon Zwart. There was guilt and regret in his blue eyes.

"I…" he began softly, but trailed off, unsure of what to say. He glanced over at Alphamon and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, but grew embarrassed when he saw that they were both looking at him as well. He grimaced and glanced down at his feet.

Alphamon frowned, recognizing Omegamon's discomfort. "Give him a bit of space, guys…" he told the others.

Omegamon grimaced and looked up at everyone. After a few moments of silence, Omegamon slowly got down on his knees and bent forwards so that his hands and forehead pressed against the ground in a pose of supplication. The Royal Knights looked on with surprise as he bowed before them so extremely.

"I'm… so sorry," Omegamon told them, shutting his eyes tightly as he put himself at their mercy, "for all the trouble that I've put you all through. I… hope that you'll be able to forgive me… I…"

Omegamon's eyes opened when he felt a hand on each of his arms, lifting him up to a kneeling position. He looked up and saw Alphamon's hand on his left arm and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode's hand on his right arm. They smiled at him and gently lifted him to his feet.

"There's nothing to forgive, Omegamon," Dukemon told him with a reassuring smile.

"Hardly your fault. That Dark Area stuff's to blame," Craniamon agreed.

"Indeed. You cannot be blamed for what happened while you were in that dark form. DarkKnightmon was the one that forced that transformation," Duftmon pointed out.

Omegamon looked down sadly. "You're all too kind…" he spoke. He meekly glanced up at Alphamon and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "You both especially… I owe…"

"You don't owe us anything," Imperialdramon explained, gripping Omegamon's shoulder with one hand while gripping the World Tree to steady himself with the other. "We're your friends."

"And I attacked you…" Omegamon responded, grimacing. "I left you at DarkKnightmon's mercy…"

"And I left you," Imperialdramon said softly. He turned and looked at the others. "I'm sure all of you have been dying to know where I've been all this time."

"Actually, yeah. Come to mention it…" UlforceVeedramon mused. "The most we see of you is in that nice stained glass window in the council room," he joked.

"I've been doing plenty of things…" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode replied, weakly raising one of his arms to scratch his cheek.

"Like what?" Dukemon questioned.

"Like politicking on behalf of the Order. I go around the Digital World, maintaining relationships with powerful Digimon, like the Four Holy Beasts here, for example," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode explained. "I know you guys do that too on a smaller scale, but, frankly, I'm more charming." He smiled emphatically.

"Debateable," Dynasmon said, smirking.

"Is that all?" Craniamon asked him.

"No. I also do things like securing the Network, watching over important sites like the World Tree, and keeping the Dark Area in check, among several other things," Imperialdramon clarified.

"No offence, Imperialdramon, but I kind of wish you did a better job at the Dark Area part," Dukemon said half-kiddingly.

"I'd like to see you do better, Dukemon," the white paladin countered with a semi-smile. He grew serious and turned and looked at Omegamon. "…Anyways. I've decided that I'm going to be more involved from now on. I guess I grew to like the role I made for myself too much. I became the secret champion of the Order, but I didn't realize that you all still relied on me. I've neglected you all, but that's going to change now."

"It is?" Alphamon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes…" Imperialdramon Paladin Mode answered. "While I'm not going to be joining the Order officially or anything, I'm going to make myself… more accessible." He looked at Omegamon particularly. "I'll be around more often."

Omegamon smiled slightly but looked away, still feeling a bit sheepish. "I'm glad to hear that…"

"So am I," Alphamon said. "I suppose I should thank you for all the help you might have given us."

"Let's call it even after today, Alphamon," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode responded.

"Not to interrupt," RhodoKnightmon spoke up. "But I believe that Duskmon and his team have arrived." He extended his arm and pointed to the group of physicians walking across the clearing towards the mass of soldiers and prisoners.

"I'll lead them to the field hospital," Examon proposed, stepping out in front. "I want to check on how Dorbickmon's doing anyways."

Alphamon nodded. "Hopefully the physicians from nearby towns will be here soon as well. Then we'll all be able to be healed."

"I'll be back shortly," Examon nodded, trudging along what was left of the grass. Once away from the group, he flapped his wings and gently glided across the clearing to meet the medical team. He hoped that they would ensure the safety of Dorbickmon and the members of the Order.

* * *

><p>Examon stood outside of one of the large medical tents at the base of the World Tree. He gave the doctors a few minutes to go in and prepare before going in himself. He didn't want to get in the way with his big wings.<p>

After it sounded like things had calmed down in there, Examon stepped inside the tent after pulling the entry flap aside. There were several Digimon lying on makeshift beds. They were even a few badly wounded mercenaries being treated.

Examon looked around the tent, trying to spot Dorbickmon among the patients. Lying in a nearby bed of cloth was OuRyuumon. The gold dragon's long body was wrapped with bandages and he was being tended to by a HolyAngemon.

OuRyuumon spotted Examon and gave him a nod. Examon returned it. Despite their differences in the past, they both seemed relieved to see that the other was alright.

"Grgh… Examon…?" a voice said from behind Examon.

The draconic Royal Knight started to turn around in response to the voice. After carefully shifting his wing, Examon pivoted and saw Dorbickmon lying on one of the beds behind him. His chest was heavily bandaged. Standing over him was a TigerVespamon – a volunteer from a monastery who sent a few Digimon to offer their medical expertise to the wounded.

Examon walked over to the bed. "Dorbickmon… How are you doing?"

"Peachy," Dorbickmon responded with a strained grunt.

"Father Angemon has healed the worst of his wounds," the TigerVespamon explained in a calm, ethereal voice. "I am just finishing up on him. He will recover fully in a few days."

"Thank you," Examon told him.

The TigerVespamon nodded and stepped away to tend to another patient and allow Examon to talk to Dorbickmon in private.

Dorbickmon glanced up at Examon with a half-lidded eye, eyeing all the cuts and bruises that the Dragon Emperor had all over him. "You look worse than I do…" Dorbickmon stated. "…Partially my fault, I admit. We tore a few chunks off each other before I, well…" The mercenary looked away sheepishly while still trying to seem cool. "…saw things differently."

"Do I have a black eye?" Examon asked, reaching up and rubbing his snout.

Dorbickmon looked over again and grinned. "Yup," he observed. "Looks good on you… Shows you're not just sniping all the time and that you actually do some real fighting."

"…Real fighting?" Examon questioned with a bland expression.

Dorbickmon laughed, but he was halted by a jolt of pain in his chest. "Damn… Can't do that for awhile…"

"Actually… I was wondering," Examon spoke up, a bit uncertainly. "What _do_ you plan to do now? With your life, I mean…"

Dorbickmon closed his eyes and leaned back. "…What I always do," he answered flatly. "That is, if your friends decide not to arrest me."

"…I see," Examon said, with what sounded like disappointment in his voice.

Dorbickmon opened one eye and looked over at Examon. "I'm a mercenary, Examon. It's what I know. S'what I've been doing for _years_ now…" he explained to him. "What were you expecting? For me to go and join the Order?"

Examon rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Well…" he admitted.

The dragon mercenary released a soft, restrained chuckle. "Yeah. Not going to happen," he said in a voice that didn't leave any room for argument. "White knights in shining armour, rigid rules and discipline, snobby, high class Digimon…? Not my scene at all."

"I am not snobby," Examon countered, folding his winged arms.

"I bet you hold your tea cup with your end claw up in the air," Dorbickmon teased him. "Anyways… You don't have to worry. Just because I'm a mercenary, that doesn't mean that I won't stay out of trouble; there's plenty of mercs that stay on the right side of the law. Besides, I know that I did a lot of stupid stuff, so I have a lot of making up to do."

"By stupid, you mean like releasing DarkKnightmon from the Dark Area," Examon pointed out.

"Yeah. And I got three holes in my chest as thanks. No good deed goes unpunished, huh?" Dorbickmon muttered. He then frowned and glanced over at Examon. "Hey… I have a lot of street contacts, so… maybe I could keep you guys in the loop about things that I hear about. You know… rumours, info on criminals and dirtier mercs… I hear a lot of stuff like that in my line of work. If it keeps me out of Havelock Prison, I guess it'd be worth a few trips to your guys' HQ to give you guys useful tips."

"I'll speak to the others," the crimson Royal Knight told him, moving one of his wings to allow a doctor to pass by him. "I think I can convince them to let you off with a harsh warning."

Dorbickmon nodded weakly. He turned his head and glanced away from Examon. "…Thanks. I know I don't deserve it," he said lowly.

Examon winced and gazed down at the grass. "Well, what I did to you was pretty bad too…"

Dorbickmon was silent.

Examon glanced back up, looking at Dorbickmon with a hesitant gaze. "So… do you think that we can both move past all of that?"

"Maybe…" Dorbickmon replied, moving his head towards the Royal Knight. "I can see how bad you felt about that now. I think we can… It might take a bit of time to break the ice, but… Shit. I guess I'm softer than I thought I was…"

A grateful smile formed on Examon's face. "Thank you…" he said to him. "You should get some rest now."

Dorbickmon released a big, toothy yawn and rolled over onto his side so that his back faced Examon. "Yeah… I'm pretty beat… Lemme know how things work out with the tin ca - I mean - knights."

Examon nodded and turned around, quietly heading towards the exit of the medical tent. However, as soon as he drew near, Alphamon pushed the flap aside and walked inside.

"Examon…" Alphamon greeted, looking at him.

"Alphamon…" Examon spoke in response. "Were you looking for me?"

Alphamon shook his head. "I came to visit OuRyuumon. Is he in this tent?" he asked. He followed Examon's claws when he gestured over to the side of tent, where OuRyuumon lay on a makeshift bed while a HolyAngemon tended to him. "Thank you," Alphamon replied. He looked back at Examon. "How is your friend?"

"Recovering…" Examon answered, looking over his wing and shoulder to the currently sleeping Dorbickmon. "He'll be okay. …I managed to get through to him. He's changed."

Alphamon gave Examon a warm smile. "It's rewarding feeling, isn't it?" he asked him.

Examon turned to Alphamon curiously. "Oh… That's right. You saved Omegamon, didn't you?"

"I just helped him remember himself," Alphamon replied humbly.

Examon nodded. He looked down and stalled for a few moments before looking up at Alphamon. "Um, Alphamon… About Dorbickmon…" he put forwards sheepishly. "I feel uncomfortable asking, but…"

"You don't want Dorbickmon to face punishment for the things that he's done…" Alphamon knowingly spoke.

"I know it's a lot to ask…" Examon responded, wincing a little.

Alphamon sighed. "I need your honest, objective opinion, Examon… Has he changed?" he asked him, looking at Examon studiously.

"Yes… I swear on my honour that he has," Examon replied, this time with more confidence.

"In that case… I'll see what I can do," Alphamon assured the knight. "I'll need to talk to him later myself to be sure, but… I think I can persuade the others to agree to let him off."

Examon bowed his head gratefully. "Thank you…"

Alphamon gave him a small, sad smile. "There's already been too much heartache today," he told him. "I don't wish to cause anymore."

With those words, the leader of the Royal Knights gave Examon a nod and strode past him. As Examon exited the tent, Alphamon made his way over to the exhausted OuRyuumon. He approached the makeshift bed and stopped beside it, looking down at the Captain.

"OuRyuumon…" he greeted.

OuRyuumon looked over at Alphamon. He was heavily bruised and bandaged, but he looked as though he would recover. "Alphamon. Hey…" he greeted. He slowly eyed Alphamon up and down, noticing the countless fissures and fractures in his armour. The knight's skin was exposed and crusted with black, dried blood in several places, whereas the larger wounds had sloppy, makeshift bandages on them until it was his turn to receive medical attention. "…You look like shit."

Alphamon smiled through his pain. "You don't look great, yourself," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I don't really feel great either," OuRyuumon admitted. "I'll be fine though. I'm tough."

"I know," Alphamon said. He sat down on a rock next to the bed.

When he did, a silence overtook them both. There was an atmosphere… things had happened during that battle that were sensitive topics, and neither knew if they should mention them.

After a few moments of hesitation, OuRyuumon cringed and turned his head to look at the Royal Knight. "Alphamon, I…" He paused and turned his head up, looking at the roof of the tent. "I'm sorry… about DarkKnightmon."

A grimace formed in Alphamon's eyes and he was prompted to stare down at his lap. "Are you?"

"I know it's a lot coming from the guy who tried to…" He sighed. "Coming from _me_... But I know he was your friend and how hard everything's been for you. If you ever want to talk… or not talk… well… that's what best friends are for, right?"

"Thank you…" Alphamon said to him. He glanced over at OuRyuumon softly. "I would rather not talk about it now, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, sure…" OuRyuumon replied agreeably. "Uh… How's Omegamon?"

"Fine. Feeling guilty, I think," Alphamon explained.

OuRyuumon nodded weakly. "As long as he's okay…"

Alphamon stalled. There was something else that he felt he had to mention as well, but he wasn't sure how OuRyuumon would take it…

The longer he stayed quiet, the more suspicious and uncomfortable OuRyuumon got. "So…"

"OuRyuumon…" Alphamon began, a serious frown on his face. "I'm considering making Gankoomon a Royal Knight…"

OuRyuumon turned and looked at him with shock. After a few moments, the shock faded and the dragon grew quiet.

Alphamon became uncomfortable by OuRyuumon's lack of a response. He was worried OuRyuumon might react like this. He didn't want to put another barrier between them right when they had been trying to put their issues behind them. "But… if you aren't comfortable with tha—"

"It's fine," OuRyuumon interrupted.

Alphamon looked at him. It didn't sound like he was sulking or being thorny. "It is?"

After a few moments, OuRyuumon closed his eyes and nodded, sighing. "Yeah…"

"I don't want you saying that just for my benefit, OuRyuumon…" Alphamon responded with a frown.

OuRyuumon looked the Lord of the Empty Seat in the eyes. "No. I mean it…" he reassured him. He then looked up at the tent ceiling. "I think it's time for me to give up on that dream…"

Alphamon felt a pang of guilt in his chest. "OuRyuumon…"

"I admit, it hurt before… repeatedly being told that I wasn't good enough to be a Royal Knight for one reason or another. I wanted to prove them wrong… But… that wasn't the real reason why I wanted to be one," OuRyuumon explained, gazing over at Alphamon. His cheeks became slightly red. "I… I wanted to be your equal. Instead of always holding you back, I wanted to prove that I could be as strong as you are. That I could be there for _you_. I dunno… I wanted to show that you could rely on me and that I was worthy to be your partner."

Alphamon looked down at his lap, his eyes tightening somewhat. Slowly, he extended his arm and placed his hand on top of OuRyuumon's. "You _are_ my equal… I've considered you my equal ever since we were kids…" he explained to him gently and sincerely. "I don't need you to be a Royal Knight to know that you'll always be there for me."

OuRyuumon smiled a bit. "I… I know that now," he answered with an uncharacteristically soft voice. "That's why I'm okay with it…" He flipped his claws over and lightly squeezed Alphamon's hand before letting go. His violet eyes gazed into Alphamon's. "I'm happy just as long as I'm a part of the Order and part of your life."

Alphamon smiled warmly at him. "…You always will be, OuRyuumon."

"Thanks…" He adjusted himself on the bed uncomfortably, fidgeting with the bandages on his chest. "Uh… Let's change the subject. I hate sappy stuff."

"I should be getting back, actually," Alphamon responded, standing up from the rock with a pained wince. "I need to get things organized. Things are still a bit of a mess out there."

"Rather you than me," OuRyuumon told him with a toothy smirk. "Guess I'll just lie here and try not to die from boredom, then."

Alphamon smiled and nodded. He gave OuRyuumon a nod and began to walk towards the exit.

"Alphamon," OuRyuumon spoke up.

The Lord of the Empty Seat looked over his shoulder. OuRyuumon's expression was serious.

"What are our losses?" he asked him.

Alphamon closed his eyes and turned forwards. "Enough…" he answered sombrely. "There hasn't been any official count yet, but… I suspect that any rousing speech I might make will be cold comfort to some."

OuRyuumon hissed a bit. "…It's not your fault."

Alphamon nodded softly but decided not to say anything else on the issue. "…Get well, OuRyuumon."

"You too…" OuRyuumon replied. "Don't take too long to get those wounds seen to. Otherwise, I'll get Duskmon after you; there's no hiding from him."

"My superior sight isn't to the detriment of my hearing, either," Duskmon reminded OuRyuumon as he passed by, giving him a sideways glance with the eyes on his right shoulder and kneecap.

Alphamon smiled a bit at OuRyuumon. "Very well… We'll speak later." He gave the Captain a short nod and turned forwards, walking out of the tent to attend to his responsibilities.


	42. Epilogue: One in a Quintillion

(Author's notes: Just posted Chapter 30. Here's the epilogue.)

**Epilogue: One in a Quintillion**

_A few weeks had passed…_

The Battle of the World Tree – as it became known by the Royal Knights' chroniclers – still resonated across the continent. The holy site had been damaged and desecrated during the two attacks, and Digimon wanted to know why and what had happened. The fact that it attracted the Four Holy Beast to the World Tree caused the event to gain even more attention.

This required the Royal Knights to come clean about DarkKnightmon's Coups – again, so-named by the Royal Knights' chroniclers and historians in light of the battle's aftermath. While they had been able to sweep the first coup under the rug in the past, the Royal Knights had no wish to (or the ability to, after the sheer scale of the battle) do so again. They offered complete transparency about what had happened with DarkKnightmon.

Fortunately for the Royal Knights, they had been generally spared public backlash to this secret. Their prestige hadn't been irreparably damaged like DarkKnightmon had always intended. This was because, in spite of DarkKnightmon's connection with them and the impressive opposition that he challenged them with, the Royal Knights and their forces had valiantly protected the World Tree. It was at no small price either. On the Royal Knights' side, there had been fifty one deleted and hundreds wounded. As a mark of respect, the Royal Knights held a service and lowered the flag bearing the castle's coat of arms for fifty one days.

However, life went on. Everybody had to try their best to move on from the tribulations that they had been faced with for the past few months.

Dorbickmon had eventually been left off the hook, after having promised sincerely that he had reformed, and that he would help out the Royal Knights in the future. Despite this, he received a severe tongue-lashing from many of the Royal Knights and he still wasn't entirely trusted. Things probably would have gone differently if Examon, Dukemon, Alphamon, and Omegamon (who retained his memories from when he was Omegamon Zwart) hadn't spoken on his behalf. Dorbickmon went back to his freelance mercenary job and, while now picking his commissions very carefully, maintained his contact network so that he could absorb information.

The Order also went back to work, as did the Royal Knights. They trained and intervened as they always did. However, they were even more involved in continental affairs than they were before. Using Imperialdramon's knowledge as well as their own, they took a more hands-on approach, although not nearly to the degree that DarkKnightmon wouldn't have wanted. They still believed in the basic tenants on which their Order was founded upon.

Alphamon, Omegamon, Dukemon, Magnamon, Dynasmon, RhodoKnightmon, UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, Duftmon, Sleipmon, and Examon… all eleven Royal Knights worked together to make the Order, and the Digital World, the best that they could be. It wasn't easy, but that wouldn't stop them on their righteous mission.

And they soon found that there would be a twelfth Royal Knight among their ranks…

* * *

><p>Alphamon sat behind his desk in his office. The finely crafted, wooden desk had on it papers stacked in an orderly, systematic way. To the right of his hand were charcoal pencils, a quill, a fountain pen, and a seal for officially marking envelopes and scrolls. To his left was a small ball of pure light that hovered above his desk, providing a light source for the room. Alphamon held a pen between his fingers and he looked down at an official document in front of him, which he was in the process of filling out. Behind his formal clothing were bandages which still sealed the recovering wounds of his chest, shoulders, and arms, but they were healed enough for him to move around.<p>

"Name: Gankoomon…" Alphamon said aloud. He looked up.

Across from him, on the other side of the desk, sat Gankoomon. His arms were folded and he was shaking his leg agitatedly. "Come on, Alphamon," he said, looking across at Alphamon with an impatient, annoyed expression. "Is this really necessary? You already guaranteed me the position."

"If we're going to do this, it has to be official," Alphamon responded methodically. "So, Gankoomon, continuing with our interview… Why do you want you join the Royal Knights?"

"Because you asked me," Gankoomon sarcastically answered. He ceased shaking his leg and brought it onto the knee of his other leg. "You already know why you want me to become a Royal Knight, so can't we just skip this? It's a pain in the ass."

"I hope you don't curse on a regular basis, Gankoomon," Alphamon told him. He seemed to be taking some secret pleasure in doing this. "…And, as I said, you're going to become the twelfth Royal Knight, so I need to make sure you're thoroughly checked over."

"Just as long as it's not by that weird pink guy," Gankoomon muttered, sneering a bit and leaning back in the chair. "I want to be a Royal Knight because…" He paused and thought about what he wanted to say. "I think you guys need someone like me to keep you in check. I bring a new perspective and a lot of talent to the table."

"I asked why _you_ want to join us, not why _we _want you to join us," Alphamon noted, scribbling something down on the paper that Gankoomon was unable to see.

This agitated Gankoomon even more. "Rgh… I think you're all damn impressive fighters." He frowned and looked to the side. "And you all have good hearts and intentions. I want to work with Digimon like that. I think we can do a lot of good…"

"Okay, good…" Alphamon replied. He wrote something else down. "Now, your companions… The Sistermons and Huckmon. They'll be joining with you?"

"Yeah. I'm not expecting you to give them big positions in the Order or anything. Just lodgings and something small and out of the way so they can focus on Huckmon's training. I'll make sure they stay out of trouble," the white-coated warrior assured him.

"Very well. That shouldn't be a problem," Alphamon assured him. He looked like he was about to stand up, making Gankoomon hopeful that the interview was over. Instead, Alphamon merely readjusted his sitting position. "Next question."

Gankoomon's eye twitched.

"How would you describe yourself?"

"Getting pissed off," Gankoomon deadpanned, really becoming annoyed by all of these formalities.

"Possessing something of a temper," Alphamon murmured, writing another thing down in the document. "Impatient, dismissive of regulations…"

Gankoomon was on the verge of gnashing his teeth together.

"Moving on…" Alphamon spoke up, a faint smile on his face. "Describe to me some of your abilities and assets…"

At this, the expression of anger disappeared from Gankoomon's face. It was replaced by a glint in his visor…

Gankoomon uncrossed his leg and slowly stood to his feet. With a passionate smirk, he leaned forwards and grabbed the edge of Alphamon's desk. "Chabudai…"

Alphamon blinked.

"…GAESHI!"

Alphamon watched haplessly as his interviewee suddenly gripped the desk hard and pulled up. Gankoomon lifted the desk high into the air, causing all of the papers, utensils and items to spill off the desk and fall to the floor. Then, with a mighty heave, Gankoomon flipped the table over in a display of passion and strength. The desk crashed to the floor noisily, flipping a few times before slowly toppling over, over to the side of the two Digimon.

They took this to mean that the interview was over.

When the noise faded into an awkward, lingering silence, Alphamon slowly looked up at Gankoomon with a flat, dry expression.

"…We'll get back to you."

* * *

><p><em>That night…<em>

The cool, relaxing evening breeze blew through the air. Soft wisps of clouds passed by overhead, hovering above the Royal Knights' headquarters. When they passed, two moons could be seen in the night sky, reflecting a dim light down to the ground and over the buildings. The moons were aligned in such a way that the edge of one was partially hidden by the other. They rested in orbit against the dark, starry sky.

Standing on the ramparts of the refurbished wall was Alphamon. He leaned forwards, resting his arms on the parapets, and stared out across the shadowy field surrounding the front of the castle. The Royal Knight closed his eyes and quietly listened to the sounds of nature around him, trying to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the night.

He heard what sounded like metallic footsteps grow near.

"Alphamon…?" a soft voice asked.

Alphamon opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder. Emerging from the darkness was the white-armoured body of Omegamon. Omegamon approached him uncertainly and stood next to him. He looked over at Alphamon hesitantly.

"Omegamon… Hello," Alphamon greeted with a small smile.

"I thought you might be out here…" Omegamon said to him.

"Am I that predictable?" Alphamon asked him.

Omegamon smiled faintly and looked forwards, staring out into the distance. His blue eyes quietly scanned the shadows of the night in the distance. "…You're thinking about DarkKnightmon, aren't you?"

Alphamon winced imperceptibly. "…I'm thinking about a lot of things."

"I…" Omegamon begun, but soon stopped. He frowned gently and looked down at his hands, which rested on the top of the stone parapet. "Would you like to talk to me about it? I mean, if…" He trailed off, embarrassed.

Alphamon was quiet. He glanced over at Omegamon, gazing at him carefully. "…No…" he responded, looking forwards again.

Omegamon closed his eyes. He nodded gently, understandingly. While it hurt, he realized that things would be different after he became Omegamon Zwart. He allowed his hands to slide off of the stone brick and he made to turn around to walk away.

However, he was stopped by a black hand on his shoulder, gripping him gently. He glanced over his shoulder to see Alphamon's red eyes gazing into him.

"Just having you by my side is enough, Omegamon…" he assured him.

Omegamon looked forwards as his face grew red, but he raised his hand and placed it on top of Alphamon's. He then turned around and stood next to him again. He glanced at him and looked down. "Alphamon, I… I want to say…"

"If it's about what happened with DarkKnightmon, you don't have to say anything…" Alphamon explained. "If anything, I should apologize for the way I acted."

"You already did," Omegamon responded reassuringly. "You don't need to again…"

"Good… because I'm hoping that we can move forwards," Alphamon said, turning and looking at his friend.

"…Of course, Alphamon," Omegamon answered, returning the look.

"You aren't just saying that, are you?" the black knight asked the white one.

Omegamon smiled a bit. "No… I want us to move forwards. Together."

"Good…" Alphamon responded.

He returned to gazing back out into the night sky. A comfortable silence overtook the pair. For awhile, they just stood together, at ease, like they used to.

"…So. Gankoomon," Omegamon spoke, breaking the silence and looking over at Alphamon. "That was sudden. Are you sure?"

"I think it makes sense…" Alphamon replied. "After this DarkKnightmon business, it will look better for us, adding another Royal Knight to our ranks. Besides, Gankoomon prides himself as being a Digimon of the people. I suppose we could stand to be more in touch with regular Digimon. And there _is_ more to him than just a hot temper."

Omegamon nodded. "I trust your judgment. I'm sure he will be a great addition to the team."

Alphamon smiled a bit and stared up at the night sky, the large, white moons reflecting in the moat, as well as in his red eyes. "Are you?" he asked rhetorically. "Duftmon has made his opinion clear, and there are bound to be personality conflicts with Gankoomon."

"They will adapt," Omegamon said confidently. "They'll grow and accept. They always do…"

"I suppose…" Alphamon replied.

Omegamon smiled and stared up at the stars and moons as well. "If you don't believe me, just look at how the last addition to the Royal Knights turned out…"

"Yes… I suppose he turned out fine…" Alphamon answered, a grin growing on his face.

As the two Royal Knights gazed up at the serene night sky, they watched as Examon's silhouette soared through the air and passed in front of the lustrous moons.

Examon looked down at them and nodded with a calm smile. Without a word, he glided on the breeze before pulling up, ascending, and disappearing into the stars…

* * *

><p>(Author's Notes: Well... that's that. A huge thank you to all the readers, followers, and reviewers. Thanks for taking the time to read this massively long Digimon story of mine that I've been writing for the past two and three quarter years. It's been really fun writing this and interacting with the fans. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it.<p>

Next is the sequel to "A Dragon in Shining Armour". It's going to be called "Holy War." If you want to read it, be sure to add either it or me to your alert list so you know when I post a new chapter. I hope I'll see all of you there. I have a lot of plots, characters, and ideas planned, so it should be fun. And Digimon Adventure Tri is on the way, so Digimon is making another comeback, which will surely reflect positively on my fic. Check it out! www. fanfiction s/10931005/1/Holy-War (The link has been butchered, but you can probably figure it out.)

By the way, I want to hear, should this story have been rated M? xD I keep feeling like there's some stuff in here that's too mature for T, but I don't know.

Again, thanks for the patronage. It's been a great ride and I've finally officially finished my first, full length story. 741 pages and about 332 000 words. Yup. See you soon!)


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